Maikka Week 2011: Partners in Blades & Other Tales
by Loopy777
Summary: The main story is an AU based on two of my previous works, "Dowry" and "Control," where Mai finds herself in a sham marriage with Piandao the Swordsman. What crazy AU adventures get started when Sokka arrives? We'll see, we'll see.
1. Healing

**Partners in Blades - Healing**

Piandao the Swordsman sat alone in his bedroom, wrapped in the dark of the night, and pondered death.

It could very well be his own death that was coming, but it was hard to say for certain. Death might be just around the corner for his current allies, or his prospective ones. It could be coming for his enemies, but to figure that out, he would first have to identify both who his enemies currently were, and who he wanted them to be. It might very well be that Piandao himself would be dispensing this death, and no matter whom it was intended for, he had a feeling that he would regret the whole course of events.

Why did enemies of the Fire Nation come knocking on Piandao's door? It would most certainly result in a bother.

* * *

That night, Piandao would stay up through dawn pondering the matter of death, but Sokka couldn't have known that when he arrived at the swordsman's mansion shortly after breakfast. The Water Tribe teenager had started the day in an unusually dark funk, brought on by the most horrible feeling of all- uselessness. When he had started out on his journey with Aang, he had thought himself the Leader, the only one in the group capable of making the right decisions. (Despite what his sister Katara had insisted, he had done a good job, back then in the early days. Not that he was anywhere near as good as their father, but Aang and Katara had set the bar so low it wasn't hard to be more rational than them. Really, stealing from nasty pirates right on their own boat? Was the concept of 'consequences' that hard to understand?)

The only problem was that everyone else had grown during the journey, and Sokka hadn't. Just the opposite, actually. Well, maybe not. The opposite would be like getting smaller or younger or something, and Sokka wasn't doing that; his voice cracked _much _less now. Instead, he had lost his confidence. Sure, he might still be a good thinker, but what if no amount of thinking could keep the people you love safe?

How do you make important decisions, then?

He had lost Yue, up at the North Pole.

Then the group had lost Omashu. Okay, maybe the Fire Nation had conquered the place before Sokka and company had arrived, but they had failed in their attempt to free Bumi, and they had lost the friendship of the rebellion there when they sabotaged both their attempts to kill the governor. (The first time had been an accident, the second time not so much.) The history of ineffectiveness seemed to go on from there. One horrible time had been when Toph nearly drowned at the Serpent's Pass. He had just started to get suspicious that the younger girl had a crush on him, but when she fell into the bay during the fight with the serpent, he had been too slow to get to her, and by the time he had followed her into the water, she was too deep. They had both nearly drowned. Thankfully, Katara had become such a Master at Waterbending that she had been able to quickly rip them out of the water, but Toph had needed some magic healing mojo before she started breathing again.

Sokka thought about that every day, along with Yue.

Letting the Fire Nation capture Ba Sing Se and ruin Sokka's plan for the Day of Black Sun invasion had been _almost_ as bad.

It had all come to a head last night, when he couldn't help the others put out a simple out-of-control-super-meteor fire. But now he knew there was a Master Swordsman in this town, and maybe he would learn how not to be a complete loser. That would be really nice, especially with the revised version of the Invasion looming in the near future.

Yeah, sure. No problems. Sokka grabbed the heavy brass knocker on the door of the mansion's outer wall, and knocked.

* * *

Mai awoke, as always, to the sounds of clashing swords. She really hated that.

The Fire Nation teenager got dressed and ready for the day, which was a small annoyance by itself. It always involved making a decision- did she want to keep to herself, or join Piandao on the training grounds? The former meant she could do whatever she wanted and train in private, with no one to bother her; the only problem was that hanging around this mansion, and the forgotten town of Shu Jing in general, was painfully boring. Of course, the latter meant spending all day with a bunch of arrogant soldiers who thought that the age difference between herself and her 'husband' was an excuse to stare impolitely; even the ones who didn't stare (which was the majority of the group, she had to admit) were unpleasant company, being both fanatically devoted to the Fire Nation and/or stupid.

Plus, it was uncomfortable to watch them train. She had enough skill with the sword, now, to see the flaws in their training- the very purposefully constructed flaws that Piandao had designed to make sure that none of the soldiers would be able to beat his real students. He had been a deserter, once, and he believed that this kind of subtle rebellion made up for giving in to the Fire Lord's will and selling out. Maybe teaching Mai in the proper style had been his own apology to her, for dragging her into the whole deception, including the marriage-on-paper-only that trapped her in this stupid situation.

Whatever.

Mai didn't have an opinion of the Fire Nation's war. If it won, then everything would be great, and the world would enter a new era of Super Happy Fun. (Propaganda never lies, no. Mai wasn't an idealist _at all_, and having seen the Fire Lord 'teach a lesson' to his son, someone Mai had held some regard for, by burning his face off had given her something to be justifiably cynical about.) If the Fire Nation lost, though, then there would be trouble of a different kind. Her family was over in Omashu, after all, and it wouldn't go well for them in any way if the locals retook their homeland. Never mind what would happen to Mai herself when the 'barbarian' hordes retaliated with their own invasion.

Not that she really cared, of course.

Mai decided she would get some breakfast before planning out the rest of her day. Too much thinking in the morning was bad for digestion, or so Ty Lee said. (That didn't explain why the girl didn't turn her brain on after breakfast, though.)

She had just reached the mansion's ground floor when the sound of knocking at the gate came through the open windows. Mai looked around for the butler, Fat, but couldn't see him. He was probably in the rear courtyard with Piandao, either helping to train the latest batch of soldiers or taking care of some other servant business; Mai tried to pay as little attention as possible to the man's function. He was too much like herself to be pleasant company.

After a pause, the knocking came again, this time in rapid repetition, like the moron at the gates was working both doorknockers with all his strength.

Mai sighed. "I'm coming, already."

* * *

The door flew open, tearing the knocker out of Sokka's hand and nearly pulling him off balance. He managed to recover before falling, though, and quickly took what he hoped was a dignified stand. He looked up at the person who had answered the door.

"What _is_ it?" she said.

Sokka blinked. This was not what he had been expecting. She was a teenager, probably around his own age, done up like a noble from a play. She wore long, dark robes, had her very shiny hair set in a style that looked like it broke several laws of knot-tying, and her whole angular face was pulled down by a small frown that must have had an impressive gravitational strength.

She wasn't the ugliest girl Sokka had ever seen, but it still took an effort of will not to take a step back. "I've come to train with the Master."

She sighed. "All right, come in. We'll see if we can work you into the schedule, at least for an interview. Cash, or gift to prove your worth?"

"Uh..."

* * *

The boy- Sokka, he said his name was, and life in the colonies must have been pretty corrupted if that kind of appellation was popular over there- had seemed quite impressed by the legendary Piandao. He maintained a formal attitude that contrasted against his earlier near-pratfall, and made his pitch in the most humble delivery that Mai had ever heard. Her 'husband' had seemed to really like that, and agreed to take Sokka on as a short-term apprentice, free of charge. Sokka had been appropriately enthusiastic about that, but quickly descended back into awkward stumbling and stammering when he had been brought to the courtyard full of soldiers. "You're teaching _all _those guys?"

Piandao nodded. "The Fire Lord has graciously given me a chance to serve the war effort by training his elite troops. I would personally prefer to focus more on students of my choosing, but part of being a Master is knowing how to choose your battles."

"Yeah," Sokka laughed. "Those wacky Fire Lords, am I right?"

Mai grimaced, but didn't say a word. This is why she hated company.

"You will attend my lectures throughout the day," Piandao went on, an askance glance his only acknowledgement of Sokka's joke, "but you won't train with the soldiers. They're a bit more advanced than you, and I think you could use some personal attention. My wife, Mai, is more than capable of teaching you the technical points, and I'll check in from time to time."

The two teenagers looked at each other. Mai decided that Sokka's expression was a bit frightened. She kept her own face blank; she was used to hiding annoyance by now.

* * *

Piandao's talk had been really good. Sokka really liked the sound of "the limitless possibilities of the sword," and his imagination being the guiding force. That was exactly what he needed, a way to turn all his ideas into things that could actually work, actually protect his friends and defeat the Fire Nation. It had been like the swordmaster was talking directly to Sokka, the soldiers around them just so much decoration.

Now came the not so good part. Mai had taken him to a private garden for his first technical lesson. "Pick up a practice sword," she growled. Then she began removing her robes. Beneath them, she wore a sleeveless tunic over a pair of trim pants. Sokka couldn't help but stare, because this girl had a quality that no other, especially not Yue, possessed.

_She was covered in hundreds of knives._

At Sokka's stare, she raised an eyebrow, then let her face slacken again. "Oh. I guess I can take most of them off. You'll need to watch my stances carefully, since you apparently know nothing about fighting with a jian." She proceeded to do so, piling up an impressive collection of metal. "Now, get a sword and mimic this stance."

Okay, time to focus. Time to learn how to kick butt with a sword. Sokka grabbed one of the wooden blades- well, blade wasn't quit the right word, since the edges were all blunt- and copied the girl's position. He bent his knees slightly, kept his feed apart, balanced himself with his empty hand, and positioned the practice sword on an upward diagonal between his body and his opponent.

"Ready?" she asked.

"I am ready. I am _so_ ready. I am Sokka, master of Ready."

"Stab me," she said.

He tried to do so. He pushed his blade forward, the tip aimed right at her center, but a quick flick of her own blade pushed it off course. When he couldn't bring the sword back into line quickly enough, she took a small step forward and shoved her own sword into his chest.

Well, that was one expression Sokka could put to rest. This kind of thing definitely hurt more than a sting to his pride.

"Okay," Mai said, staring down at him with dead eyes. "I guess we need to work on your control."

"Start him with the calligraphy," a grave voice called from the garden's edge. Sokka quickly turned and bowed to Piandao.

"The calligraphy," Mai repeated, deadpan.

"Of course," Piandao said. "The fine control that goes with well-crafted characters can be easily applied to the way of the sword. Once a person can stamp a paper with his identity, fluidly and with confidence, they can direct the blade of the sword to their will. I'll check in again in a little while."

Mai sighed. "Have Fat send down a writing desk."

A little while later, they were seated on opposite sides of a small wooden table, right on the ground of the garden. Well, Sokka was on the ground. Mai had spread out a patch of fabric under her backside. Did she keep that in a pocket just for sitting in this garden?

"Okay," she said. "Write your name."

Sokka brought the brush close to the paper, but hesitated at the last second. Katara said his handwriting was terrible, and he wanted to do this like he was wielding a sword, and...

"_What_ are you waiting for?"

Sokka looked up at his temporary teacher. "I'm nervous?"

"Oh, poor baby. I know how to get you over that."

"Really?"

"Yes. Every time you hesitate, I will go back to my pile of knives and throw one at your head."

Sokka finished the characters in under a second. Even he had trouble telling them apart from the inkblots that had been thrown around in his haste.

Mai sighed. Again. "I get it now. I'm teaching a remedial class."

* * *

An hour later, he finally had it. Mai guided her student's hand, making sure that even as she moved his arm, she applied just the right amount of pressure to keep his wrist moving in the proper ways. "Now lift the brush gradually, so that the tips of the hairs leave the page just at the end of the tail, and... good. Now do it yourself." She stepped back, breaking the contact between their bodies.

"Okay," he said under his breath. "Focus, Sokka. You can do this. **HAIIIIIIIIIIII-YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!**" With a shriek that actually made Mai jump, he slapped the brush down on the parchment, whipping out the lines of the characters.

Actually, they were pretty good. Nowhere near as good as hers, but acceptable. "Not bad," she drawled. "Now, let's get back to stabbing each other."

"Wait!" He held up a hand. Unfortunately, it was the one with the brush in it, and flecks of ink sprayed at Mai. "Oops, sorry!" Mai glared at him, but he was too enthusiastic to notice. "These are the best characters I ever made in my entire life. I want to sign them! They're like art!"

She stared at him. "How do you sign your own signature?"

His expression fell, then immediately picked itself back up again. "I got it!" He proceeded to dip the brush back in the ink, and then smeared the messy hairs all over his face. Before Mai could say anything, he went on to plant his face into the corner of the parchment, digging back and forth like a burrowing rabbaroo. "There!" He held the result up for her to see.

His characters were still in the center, but now a face-like blotch was smeared below them. 'Suo Ka,' the characters read, in the classic form, and his personal grin was somehow visible in the mess he made just below.

Mai wanted to disapprove. Yet, she somehow felt herself smiling in return. It was just too ludicrous. "Right," she drawled, to cover up the laugh that wanted to escape. "Do you want to clean yourself up before we get back to the swords?"

They trained for the rest of the morning, and Mai actually started enjoying herself. Sokka wasn't an easy leaner, but he was enthusiastic and optimistic, even against his temporary setbacks. He was a little like Ty Lee in that way, but Mai much preferred the way he would focus on her instructions, compared to Ty Lee's attention issues. She could almost understand, in a little way, why Piandao so enjoyed teaching. It had the same rewarding feeling as nailing a perfect shot with a throwing knife. She aimed her student at the target, and both her own skill and the quality of the weapon- in this case, the student himself- came together to follow the path of their shared will.

They finished up a quick spar, Mai letting Sokka block her last attach, and she didn't even notice that she was sweating. "Okay, that's enough. Piandao is giving another talk in a few minutes.

Sokka bowed low to her. "Thank you. You've been a great teacher."

Mai wasn't quite sure how to respond. Should she bow in return? "Yeah, well," she elected to say, "I'm sure we both have a lot more work ahead of us today."

* * *

And they had indeed, Piandao reflected. He had stopped by to observe as often as he could, throughout the day, and while Sokka didn't make it easy for her, Mai had persevered through the rough patches and actually passed on some skills to the Water Tribe boy.

Yes, he was Water Tribe. Of that, Piandao had no doubt. Why had he come to the Fire Nation? Was it just to learn the way of the sword? Piandao very much suspected that was not the case, especially given the quick-traveling news of the fall of Ba Sing Se. Whatever Sokka's reason for being here, Piandao had a feeling it would become trouble, and soon.

To be honest, a significant part of himself hoped that it would be.

Piandao's terrible hopes were fulfilled the next day, the day Sokka was to forge his own sword, and brought the Avatar himself to help.

**TO BE CONTINUED  
**


	2. Your Fault

**Partners in Blades - 02 - Your Fault**

Piandao the Swordsman sat alone in his bedroom, wrapped in the dark of the night, and pondered the future.

It was always a losing proposition to try to guess what fate (whatever that was) had in store. If Piandao had turned his thinking in this direction a week ago, it would have been a completely wasted effort, all his plans ruined by the arrival of the Avatar and the young man from the Water Tribe. Nevertheless, Piandao had come to a time of decisions, and he was too military to keep himself from making certain projections. No plan survived contact with the enemy, true, but having no plan at all was a good way to waste all your effort. As with all things, it was a matter of balance. You had to make plans, but be flexible when- _when_, not if- they went awry.

So it was time to make an old decision again. Compromise himself for the sake of survival, or risk it all, and become a personal dispenser of death.

Which one was more likely to lead to a lasting peace?

* * *

A whole two days before Piandao would secretly wrestle with a choice, Mai heard that Sokka was facing one of his own. Her 'husband' had decided that the boy was ready for his own sword, which had surprised the gloomy girl. It usually took a lot longer for Piandao to declare someone ready for a real weapon, and then it took even more time for him to let a student forge a new one using the swordmaster's secret construction techniques. (Once Mai had learned the _proper_ way to construct a jian, starting with the three metal plates and the many iterations of shaping, she had asked point blank how Piandao was able to do it in a single day with a single mold. He actually had the gall to wink at her and say nothing more than, "Trade secret." Her 'husband' could be a jerk, sometimes.)

Of course, Mai wasn't at all bothered that it had taken her far longer to earn the same rite that Sokka was now experiencing. She was just worried that if news of this Express Education got out, they'd be swamped in visitors looking to see if they could earn a free sword just for surviving a day of lessons.

Sokka had gone off somewhere to find a certain unique material he seemed excited about. Mai hardly cared. "So, what's taking him so long?"

Piandao took a sip of tea. "Maybe he stopped for lunch. You haven't touched yours, yet."

Mai looked down at her plate. She was letting her fresh Fire Flakes get cold. She dutifully took a handful. "I'm just worried that if he starts too late, he'll be keeping me up all night working the forge. I need my sleep, you know."

"Of course," Piandao said. "But I think it will be worth a night of missed rest. He's a very special student, and I think he has more surprises for us."

Mai snorted lightly. "If you say so. I've been the one doing most of the training."

"Yes, and you've been doing a very good job of it." Her 'husband' smiled at her. "Yesterday, you impressed me quite a bit. As much as he seems to get my lessons and philosophy, when it comes to the actual practice, he needs some special attention to get him on the right track. You've done an exceptional job of leveraging his strengths and keeping him focused on the skills he'll need. To be honest, I didn't think you had the patience for something like that."

Mai kept her eyes on her Fire Flakes. "It's not a big deal. He listens to me, and that's that. He's _your_ special student, after all. I'm just repeating what you taught me."

"It must be nice," Piandao said, "to have someone really listen to you, like that."

Mai didn't say anything.

At that moment, the knockers on the outer gate started sounding like a drum driving an old oar-pushed warship at ramming speed. "Ugh," Mai said, standing up. "Was that boy raised in a hole in the ground?"

Piandao didn't answer.

When they opened the gate, sure enough, Sokka was at the door, but he wasn't alone. "Who's this?" Piandao asked.

Mai kept her face blank. Great, more company. The taller girl was probably a close relative of Sokka's, given her eyes and skin tone, but the other two were odd mismatches. The colonies must have been getting rather strange, indeed, if a gang like this was traveling like family.

It suddenly occurred to Mai that her little brother might grow up with friends with green eyes. How _lucky _for him.

"Oh, these are my friends. Just other good Fire Nation folks," Sokka said. The group bowed. At least they could do that much. Mai and Piandao bowed in return, Mai keeping her dip fairly shallow. "So, do you think we can make a sword out of a meteorite?"

* * *

Piandao had to get back to his Fire Army students, so he tasked Mai with guiding Sokka through the initial portion of the forging process. She had grimaced, but didn't do any complaining, so based on the day he had already spent with her, Sokka decided that she was just mildly grumpy about the situation. "All right," he said. "Let's get some Fantastic Forging going on. What's first?"

Mai sighed. Of course. "This is the best part. We get Fat over here, and he swings a big, very heavy hammer. You get to hold the chisel against your meteorite and hope he's a very good aim."

Sokka felt his stomach do a little flip. "He's a good aim, right?"

She had the gall to smirk at him. "I guess he's all right. Not as good as me."

"Aaaand why can't _you_ do the hammer swinging, if you're so good?"

She arched an eyebrow at a witheringly acute angle, and held out her arms so that the wide sleeves hung loosely on her frame. "That hammer is probably half my weight. No way am I swinging that thing."

Sokka looked her up and down. "And all those knives you're hiding weigh- ?"

"I haven't bothered to figure it out. But it's a lot better when it's evenly distributed. You have to compensate when people compare your looks to willow trees."

"Well, it's not a _bad_ look, you know." Now, why had he said that?

Mai was still trying to figure out how to respond when Fat arrived with his very big, very heavy hammer. He must have been a pretty good butler, with great timing like that.

* * *

Sure enough, the moron was at it all night, working the forge, keeping the fires hot enough to turn his magic meteorite into a quick-running liquid that would assume the shape of a blade. Mai had to admit, though, that he was working hard at it. No matter what time she dropped by for a quick peak, he was still awake, pumping the bellows, shoveling coal, or just watching the fires. He was _really _into this. Mai had fallen asleep during her time on the forge, and Fat had earned a new level of ire by daring to touch her to shake her awake.

She stepped back from the forge, letting the relatively cool night air refresh her. When her eyes adjusted, she made out the forms of Sokka's friends sitting against the walls of the forge. "We _have _rooms for you, you know. We won't even make you sleep with the other students in the barracks."

They all made stricken expressions at that. Ooh, these kids were going to be _fun_ to tease. "So, what brings you all to the homeland? Looking to pick up a little culture?"

Glances were exchanged. The older girl- Sokka's sister, it had turned out- shifted in her seat and spoke. "Actually, my father is doing some, uh, sailing right now. He's going to landing in the Fire Nation on some, uh, business. We're traveling to meet up with him."

"Ah." Mai removed her Sitting Cloth from her sleeve, laid it on the ground, and sat down beside the group. As long as she wasn't going to be sleeping, anyway, she may as well indulge. "I got married in order to get away from my father."

"Really?" asked the little blind one.

"No. Actually, he arranged for this marriage for me. I wasn't too pleased when I found out."

"They do that in the Fire Nation, too?" said Sokka's sister.

Mai shrugged. "Sure. Actually, I would have figured that the colonies would be more laid back about that kind of thing. I was surprised that my father could actually do that to me, legally. It seems kind of backward, considering how far we've come." She thought back to a young man she once held some regard for, and what his father had been allowed to do to him. "But we seem to be a nation of pretty stupid contrasts."

Everyone nodded at that.

"Does your family live around here?" the boy in the headband asked.

"No. We lived in the Capital City at the time. I actually knew the royal family." The entire group blinked as one. Rubes. "It isn't actually as prestigious as it sounds. They're kind of weird." They all grinned together. Peasants. "My father was appointed to be governor of Omashu, not too long ago. I get letters from my mother, sometimes, but I've decided that I'm still mad at her, so I don't bother replying."

The boy and Sokka's sister exchanged glances at that. Gee, it didn't take much to impress the kids, did it? The little blind girl ignored them, and sighed. "At least she cares," she said.

Mai let herself snicker. "If that's all you want, then sure, she cares. Listen, as long as you colonials are going to be squatting in my castle's courtyard, do you want some Fire Flakes? I'm hungry."

* * *

The next day, the sword was completed. Piandao took the time to personally hammer it into shape (_however_ he managed to make a sharp blade by doing _that_), leaving his military students to drill by themselves in the courtyard. The swordmaster decided that he would present the weapon to Sokka in a small ceremony, in the mansion. "As his teacher, you should come," he said.

Mai kept her face blank. She hated ceremonies and speeches. "If you insist."

She put on a new set of robes, ones without any wrinkles, and retrieved all her best weapons to wear. She took a moment to look at the first sword she herself had forged under Piandao's supervision, and thought about its newest brother blade. Mai had been allowed to look at Sokka's sword, and it was truly a thing of beauty. It had settled into a dark color that still maintained a metallic gleam, and it was both light and strong in the way Piandao's works always were. There was a little something extra in this new sword, something that had piqued Mai's fascination with weapons anew, and she had felt a jealous desire to try to keep it for herself.

That was ridiculous, of course. And if someone else had to get the sword, she was glad it was Sokka. When she watched him move, she saw that he now bore the taint of her own deadly grace, a certain way of walking that called to mind her own style with the sword. He was partly her student, and it was fair enough that he should have a sword she could be proud of.

He didn't look proud at the ceremony.

"Sokka, when you first arrived, you were so unsure. You even seemed down on yourself. But I saw something in you right away. I saw a heart as strong as a lion turtle, and twice as big," Piandao said in the large, formal room. "And as we trained, it wasn't your skills that impressed me. You and Mai had to work hard on those, and you threw yourself into it with a diligence that I wish all my students were capable of. More importantly, you adapted those new skills to your own special way of doing things. Creativity, versatility, intelligence- these are the traits that define a great swordsman. And these are the traits that define you."

Piandao took the dark sword, slid it into its sheath for the first time, and handed it to Mai. She in turn faced Sokka, and offered him the sword while her 'husband' kept talking. "You told me you didn't know if you were worthy, but I believe that you are more than worthy of being Mai's first student."

Sokka didn't look like he felt worthy. He looked as down about the whole ceremony-thing as Mai felt, even though she was making sure she didn't show it. She felt like kicking him until he displayed proper tact.

Then he spoke. "I'm sorry, Master. You're wrong. I am not worthy. I'm not who you think I am. I'm not from the Fire Nation. I'm from the Southern Water Tribe. I lied so that I could learn swordsmanship from you. I'm sorry."

Behind him, his friends all squeaked, but Mai hardly noticed. She was experiencing a curious failure in her senses, with both her hearing and her vision being consumed by some kind of shadow. He _lied?_ He was one of the _enemy?_ The ones who were always trying to _assassinate her family?_

Her sword was out and swinging long before she recovered her senses.

Sokka blocked it with his own sheathed weapon, using the same quick reflexes she had twisted into those of a proper swordsman.

"Mai," Piandao said.

She ignored him. Instead, she drew the _second_ sword she wore at her back, and swung it into a downward arc meant to cleave through Sokka's head.

* * *

Oh, yeah. She _had_ mentioned that she studied the twin jian styles, didn't she?

Sokka twisted backwards and saw the blade pass through the air in front of his face.

"Mai, stop this!" Piandao barked from behind her. "I already knew."

If she heard her husband, she didn't give a sign of it. She pulled both of her swords back, and the brought them into an alternating attack that Sokka knew was meant to overwhelm his defenses.

Here's hoping she trained him well. Sokka gritted his teeth and pulled his sword out of the sheath.

* * *

Darn it, why had she worked so hard teaching this traitor how to stay alive? He was using both his sword and the hardened sheath to block her attacks, exactly like she and Piandao had instructed him. Mai tried stabbing one of the blades at him, but he deflected it off to the side and made her expand some of her strength to bring it back into line. She twitched the other sword at him, but he used his sheath like a club to bat it away and send shockwaves up her arm.

Fine. She was better with one sword, anyway.

Mai dropped the sword in her left hand, and twitched her wrist so that one of her prized razor discs fell into her palm. Sokka wasn't attacking, just staying on the defensive, so she stabbed her sword again, and then twisted the blade so that it locked against his when he tried to block. Stuck together, she stepped back as far as she could, and then raised the disc to throw it as his head. There was no way he'd be able to bring the sheath into line from the other side of his body to defend himself in time-

"Mai!" Katara shouted. "Sokka saved your father's life in Omashu!"

Huh?

* * *

Sokka listened with amazement as Katara related the whole adventure in Omashu, how the trade between the Fire Nation baby and King Bumi had been ruined when the local resistance double-crossed everyone for another attempt to kill the governor and his family. Dimly, Sokka _did_ recall using his boomerang to take out one of the Earthbenders trying to target the governor himself, but that was because Aang and he wanted to honor the truce for the exchange. You couldn't go breaking your word like that.

"Aang here returned your brother to your family, after everyone got away safe. You _owe _Sokka for part of that," Katara finished.

Mai wasn't moving. "Um," Sokka said, deciding to venture a little of his traditional charm, "your little brother... um, Tom-Tom? He's pretty cute. For an evil Fire Nation baby."

She stared at him. "Whatever." Then she spun and left the room, her swords forgotten on the floor.

Okay. That was an improvement, probably. Nice that luck and coincidence were on his side, for a change.

So why did he feel so awful?

* * *

Mai had locked herself in her room for the rest of the day, and Piandao was fine with that. He had Fat keep a watch on the door to make sure she didn't take another run at the Avatar and his friends, but beyond that, she wasn't really relevant anymore. Piandao could let the Avatar go, and stay in his current life, in which case Mai would probably never trust him again, but he truly doubted she would betray him to the Fire Lord. It was all personal, to her, and she had no love for the Fire Lord as a person. On the other hand, Piandao could choose to not let the Avatar simply go.

He could go _with _the Avatar.

He wouldn't even need to face Mai. There was already a signed Letter of Divorce amongst his important papers, and Fat knew exactly where. Piandao had always been aware that it would only be a matter of time before the situation became unsustainable, and he didn't want Mai to suffer any more than she already had. Fortunately, the Fire Nation didn't place any undue value on the perceived 'purity' of its women, and given Piandao's lack of an actual relationship with Mai, the public perception was the only possible issue. He could up and leave at any moment, and she would only be free.

But should he leave?

The Avatar was planning, from what he explained, to invade the Fire Nation on the occasion of a certain eclipse, when Firebenders would be powerless. It just so happened to be the day _after_ Piandao was to have delivered his latest batch of students to the hands of Princess Azula herself. Elite swordsmen were in very sudden and dramatic demand in the capital, these days.

So, what exactly could he do about that?

The next day, it would turn out not to matter. His plans didn't account for a Firebender who could make things explode with his mind.

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	3. Losers

**Partners in Blades - 03 - Losers**

Piandao the Swordsman laid on the battlefield, wrapped in pain, and pondered the darkness.

It was such an enticing darkness, promising relief and rest. It occurred to him that his mental state might be a bit altered, because black fields of no color shouldn't have been this fascinating.

The truth of the matter was that he had no choice. This darkness was his destiny.

* * *

Two days before Piandao would let the darkness take him, he was preoccupied with much more concrete matters.

After the whole _thing_ with Sokka revealing his true ancestry and Piandao being cool about it and Mai trying to kill him, everyone who was still willing to talk things over got together for a little chat. Important things were discussed, and as with most important things, Sokka wound up severely disheartened.

"The only reasonable conclusion is that the Fire Lord knows about your invasion plans and is preparing to counter them," Piandao put out there, pretty bluntly. Usually, Team Avatar tried to avoid saying stuff that depressing. "I was to bring all the soldiers being trained here to the Capital, on Princess Azula's orders. I've also heard, through some of the few non-treasonous rumor mills I have access to, that many of my former military students are being recalled to the Fire Nation for Special Assignments administered by the Home Guard. The obvious conclusion is that the Fire Lord is preparing for an important defensive action in which Firebenders wouldn't be suitable."

Sokka slapped a hand over his face. "Aw, _man_. That's the _second_ time they've done this to me."

"I guess we should thought of this," Katara sighed. "We knew that Azula had been working with Long Feng for a while. I guess he passed on the word about our plans."

Toph stomped a foot that shook Piandao's mansion. "They took our Earth Kingdom army away from us, but that wasn't enough for them. We really are idiots, aren't we?"

"So what do we do _now_?" Aang said.

"Dad." Everyone turned to look at Sokka. "We have to let Dad know. We can't let him sail right into a trap with all our allies. So, we have to stick to at least part of the old plan and rendezvous with him. That's the only time and place we know he'll be at, so even with Appa, we don't have a chance of warning him before that."

"And then what?" Katara laid a hand on Sokka's shoulder, sharing a look with him, before turning to Aang. "Do we just retreat back to the Earth Kingdom? Or do we stay and try something else? Just because the Invasion plan won't work doesn't mean we still can't use it."

"Yeah, we could at least try to assassinate the Fire Lord."

Everyone but Piandao gave Toph a wide-eyed stare.

"Hey, someone had to say it," she sniffed. "What were we going to do during the Invasion, tie him up and call it a war?"

Sokka turned to Piandao. "I don't suppose you have any good ideas? You know, secret paths into the Capital, information we can use to kidnap the Fire Lord, a secret super spoon we can use to scoop the whole island out of the ocean, something like that?"

Piandao didn't say anything right away. His gaze lost focus, and he casually stroked his chin with one hand, while the other kept a hold of his sword. "Let me consider it. At the very least, I'll have to research some possibilities, perhaps send some correspondence. You have a working plan of action, to make your rendezvous and inform your father. We can build on it from there. But for now, I have students who must not become suspicious of me. Continue your own brainstorming, and we can discuss this again tomorrow."

Sokka decided that someone had to say it. "What about Mai?"

"Oh, she won't be a problem."

* * *

Piandao's wife still hadn't made an appearance by breakfast the next day. Team Avatar joined Piandao in his dining room to make their final plans.

"I've decided to go to the Capital, either with you or by myself," the swordmaster said.

Sokka felt his jaw drop. He had been expecting some kind of Wise Man's Wisdom, or maybe some tips about assassinating Fire Lords. He hadn't expected his master to offer to do the job for them. "That... would be really _helpful_."

"Not as helpful as you might think," was the reply. Piandao lowered his gaze as he cut into a piece of fruit. "A _modification _I made to the training I gave all my military students has left them using a flawed fighting style. Anyone who knows my true style should be able to defeat them with some surprising ease, at least in small scale engagements. I, of course, should have no problem even with larger groups of them. I do not relish the idea of exploiting this weakness, or what it will entail, but to make up for the harm I may have inadvertently done to your cause, I will fight for you, if you will have me."

"Wow," Aang breathed. "Thank you. But, are you sure about this? You'll become a traitor."

Piandao chuckled. "I already am, several times over. I may as well finish things in a spectacular manner."

Aang stood, and bowed in the most formal Fire Nation style. "Then we accept your help with respect and gratitude."

Piandao stood and bowed in return. "It is given with honor." He straightened, and produced a map from his sleeve, which he spread over the center of the breakfast table. "Now, what route are we planning on taking? Perhaps it would be more advantageous if I made my delivery to the Princess, and met up with you in the Capital itself. I could-"

The sound of knocking at the mansion's outer gate drifted in through the open windows.

Piandao's face tightened. "I'll have to get that. Fat is watching Mai's room. You should all stay inside, out of sight."

After he left, they waited, something about the situation keeping them all nervous. Sokka kept shifting his feet, _sure_ that something was about to go wrong. Yeah, it could just be another cool guy, coming to ask Piandao to train him in the ways of the sword, but Sokka had given up any hopes that things were going to work out well. The universe had protected him from Mai, but in exchange it was going to wreck everything else that could possibly be vulnerable to random chance. Not to mention that Mai _hated_ him now, even though he had saved her father and baby brother, and-

The sound of an explosion echoed into the mansion, and walls rattled alarmingly.

See? The universe hated him.

* * *

Up in her shuttered room, Mai startled at the sound. _What_ were those Enemy Infiltrators doing to her home _now_?

Not that this was her home, really. Her stuff was here, was all.

Maybe the Avatar was unleashing his Dark Powers against the all the stupid soldiers currently living here. As she drifted towards a window, Mai leisurely considered whether she approved of such an action. On the one hand, she never liked having all those military guys hanging around the castle, and wouldn't mind seeing them running scared from a goofy kid. On the other hand, explosions were never good, and maybe the Avatar would decided that Piandao's 'wife' was extra baggage that no one needed around.

She opened the shutters on the nearest window, and followed the trail of smoke to the ground.

The most immediately noticeable sight was the streaming of black-clad soldiers away from the training grounds and around towards the main gate. Their dark uniforms- the signature of Piandao's old military unit, or so he claimed- stood out starkly in contrast to the white stone of the courtyard. As the smoke cleared, Mai could barely make out the end point of their path.

A man- a _huge_ man, actually- was standing where the gate _used _to be. He was bald, and it looked like he was wearing armor over one arm and one leg. Not military, then. The wind pushed more of the smog away, and Mai's exceptional eyesight picked up on one more detail of the scene. Amidst the debris, a dark man-shaped object was lying not far from the big bald guy.

Man-shaped, but it wasn't moving, and one of what looked like the legs was alarmingly shorter than the other. A pool of red color might have forming rapidly at the end of that limb.

Mai was immediately in motion. She needed all her knives, and her swords.

* * *

They didn't move after the second explosion, trusting in Piandao's advice. After the booms started coming in rapid sequence, all of Team Avatar stood up as one. "Change of plans. Let's go fight," Sokka declared.

"Why do we need _your _permission?" Toph whined as they all broke into a run.

"Because he's _my _Master. Well, one of them."

By the time they go to the front door, the battle was nearly over, and they were treated to the last of the screams. A big guy...

A _big_guy...

A big guy took a deep breath, and from his position where Piandao's pretty front gate used to be, shot a line of something out of his forehead into the midst of a rushing group of Fire Nation swordsmen, and then...

Then they all _exploded_. Fire smoke bang, kind of explosion.

Sokka was frozen in place as the rest of Team Avatar rushed forward to let loose with some Bending magic. He had come to Piandao to learn how to protect the people he loved, but how was a stupid little sword going to help him here?

* * *

Mai ran out of her room so fast she had her own slipstream. She faintly heard a noise that sounded like Fat's voice saying, "Wait," or something equally pointless, but she didn't pay attention. she had a target, and no one was going to talk her out of _hitting _it this time. She traversed the stairs with enough speed that it was more like a controlled fall, and aimed herself at the open front door. It would have taken a mighty force to halt her now-

Which was exactly what happened when another explosion went off and the shockwave reversed her momentum enough to knock her off her feet.

Mai shook her head to clear it, and looked up.

Sokka was crouched behind the doorframe. Mai scowled at him. "What are you doing in here?"

"Are you crazy? That guy is shooting booms out of his _brain_! What can we possibly do out there?"

So, this was the big bad Enemy of the State who was going to take down the Fire Nation. This was the Brave Warrior who saved her father. "Only _losers _hesitate," she sneered, and was immediately out the door.

More smoke. She couldn't throw knives at something she couldn't see, so she was going to have to get in close if she wanted to make this guy bleed. As she ran, Mai drew both of her swords, already plotting out her attack sequence against a projection of her opponent's anatomy-

Then the Avatar bounced like badgerfrog across her path, there was a spark, and then she was thrown off her feet by what must have been an explosion but felt more like a charging komodo rhino made of rock. If only things had gone black; Mai would have preferred it to the nonstop swirl of colors that consumed her vision.

* * *

So much for Mai helping out.

Sokka crept out of the mansion. He wished he had his boomerang with him, but any and all supplies that could have identified him as Water Tribe were still back with Appa and Momo at the temporary camp outside town. All he had to work with was his sword. Not as useful as a warship, sure, but there had to be something he could do with it.

At the center of the battle, Aang and Toph were tearing up the courtyard for fighting materials. Katara fell back as the other two Benders started an Earthbending barrage, and Sokka could see that she was out of water. Too bad the waterfalls were so far below the castle, or she'd have a good supply to work with. Of course, even with a mountain underneath them, the Earthbenders in the group weren't doing much better. As Sokka watched, the Big Boom Buddy shot another Spark Line out of his forehead, and took out an incoming boulder long before it could reach him. The rock exploded into a rain of debris, but the Big Boom Buddy wasn't inconvenienced at all by it. He raised his metal hand (where do you get metals hands around here?) to shield his face, and his metal foot (probably purchased at the same place where the metal hand came from) kept him stable against the shockwave.

Hm, maybe that was something Sokka could do.

He waited, sneaking from giant piece of conveniently-placed rubble to giant piece of conveniently-placed rubble, for Big Boom Buddy to get distracted by Aang and Toph again. Then Sokka dashed out and charged.

Maybe he shouldn't have screamed a war cry as he ran. Big Boom Buddy turned around just as Sokka got into Swinging Range. The giant raised a metal hand towards Sokka, but the Water Tribe warrior brought his sword up-

Ow-

Something heavy and metal bounced to the ground beside Sokka.

Then a flesh-and-blood fist about the size of a whole arctic hen slammed into Sokka's gut, grabbed his training robe, and flung him away.

He landed on a decidedly _not_ conveniently-placed piece of rubble that sent waves of pain through Sokka's entire body, and probably a few more he shouldn't have had access to.

Ow.

* * *

Mai pushed herself up off the ground. That was pretty dumb of her to fall asleep out here in the courtyard. She hadn't even put down her Sitting Cloth to keep the dirt off her face, and... oh, wait, something was going on, wasn't it? There was a loud boom from somewhere nearby, and the sound of a kid- could have been a boy or girl- crying out in displeased surprise.

Oh, right. A big guy had come and turned Mai into a widow.

She stood up, and twisted her wrists so that a heavy knife fell into each hand. She spotted the big guy shooting another firebomb-ray at the Avatar, and while his back was turned, threw one of the blades with all her strength.

Disoriented as she was, it flew true. The knife stuck up to the hilt in the big guy's back.

He turned to face her with a look of annoyance on his ugly bearded face.

Mai stood her ground, and raised her other knife to throw. That tattoo made a tempting target-

The big guy breathed-

Mai threw-

The firebomb-ray came out from the center of the tattoo as he raised an arm-

The knife passed through the empty space where the ripped stub of a metal forearm ended-

The man's eyes widened-

The resulting explosion was small, but it didn't need to be very large to rip her knife apart and turn it into a billion tiny pieces of metal traveling at the Speed of Boom. The resulting rain of metal shredded the big guy's head like a piece of paper.

Mai immediately fell to her knees and vomited.

When she looked up, she was surrounded. Sokka, the Avatar, and the two girls were all staring at her with mixed expressions of fear and gratitude.

Mai wished she could wipe her mouth, but she didn't want to get her hands messy. "Where's my husband?"

* * *

"That's the best I can do," Katara said. She lowered her hands, and the water ceased its glowing and fell to the floor of the courtyard.

"I can take things from here," Fat assured her. "I've had enough experience with battlefield medicine."

Sokka swallowed. He wasn't so confident.

Piandao kept his own eyes averted from all the work going on where his left leg used to be. "Fat, whatever I pay you, it isn't enough. If I survive, consider your salary doubled."

"So good of you, sir. Given your generosity, I feel obliged to warn you that this next part will be quite uncomfortable, and it would probably be for the best if were unconscious for most of it."

Piandao nodded sagely. "A wise recommendation. Shock and adrenaline will only do such much for me. Before you begin, can I have a moment?"

Fat nodded.

Piandao turned to Sokka. "Obviously, I'm not going to make our planned trip. You and the Avatar will have to decide your own course, but if you're still intent on taking advantage of the Day of Black Sun, you're going to have to leave quickly, and you're going to need a counter for all the swordsmen I've trained. _You _are not good enough. You are an excellent warrior, and I admire your potential, but you simply don't have the experience or familiarity to exploit the flaws in their style yet. You're going to need someone else to help you."

Sokka nodded. "You're talking about Mai." He glanced down the girl crouching at his side.

"Yes. She's a better person than she likes to think of herself. This is a path I think she needs to walk." He winced. "Someone is going to have to do the walking in my place. Someone with two legs."

Sokka looked down at her, seemingly untouched by everything going on around her. "But she-"

"I heard." Her voice was soft and emotionless.

Piandao looked at her. "Will you go? I know you don't like to be a proactive agent, but at this stage-"

"Forget about it," she said. "I'm sold. I am _sick_ of the Fire Lord just reaching out and hurting the people I... _regard_."

"The Fire Lord?" Piandao closed his eyes. "Yes, I suppose it could have been him. It will be something to think about while I try to survive my injury." He looked again at the stump of his left leg. "Fat, you should probably get back to work again. Goodbye, Sokka. Goodbye, Mai. You both have more of my gratitude than you could ever know."

* * *

Mai didn't look at anyone or say anything for the whole trip away from her old home. _Or, the old place where she kept all her stuff. _She didn't respond to anything as her new acquaintances led her around the town of Shu Jing, to a messy camp in the dirt.

She felt her face come to life again, though, when she saw the giant fur monster the Avatar called an Appa.

"Welcome to Team Avatar," Sokka said.

She tried to hide her expression of disgust.

* * *

In the ruins of his home, Piandao surrendered to the darkness. His part was over.

For now.

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	4. Caustic

**Partners in Blades - 04 - Caustic**

Azula had no need to sit and think about things. She simply incorporated new information into her constant analysis of current events and their possible outcomes, adjusting her plans to simultaneously take advantage of any new opportunity points, and address any freshly revealed weaknesses and flaws by turning them into opportunity points. Mai herself offered several new avenues, including various uses of her fighting skills. Perhaps she might even help with the 'Zuzu situation.'

Time would tell. Active management of the situation and new resources would be required.

Also, the weather was pleasant. That was nice. If it had rained, she might have been tempted to kill someone.

* * *

It's not that Mai had a problem with heights. She had scaled them and dropped from them enough times during her training and lifelong drilling. She just didn't like it when the winds snapped her hair across her face while she was trying to plan. As such, she insisted that Aang the Avatar land the Appa before they discussed their next move. Perfectly reasonable. The Airbender set them down on a smaller island, just a wide outcropping of rock in the middle of an empty sea, and Mai remembered why she didn't like the outdoors. The sun was shining down on them, with no opportunity for shade that wasn't a massive pile of oddly-smelling fur, and her Sitting Cloth had become _quite_ ruined over the last few days. Mai wished she had thought of packing at least a change of clothes before leaving with the Avatar and Friends, but her home (or whatever it was) had been on fire at the time, and chunks of the ground floor were missing in a pattern that didn't make the prospect of visiting her room in the tower seem like a good idea. "So, as near as I can figure, we have two targets. Chief Hakoda, and Piand- the trained swordsmen assembling in the Capital city."

Katara made a displeased noise. "We need Appa to get to both of them, so we're going to have to make a choice."

"Not necessarily," Mai said. "I can arrange to enter the Capital completely legally. It will just take longer."

Toph stood up. "Sounds like a plan. You go take care of the swordguys, we'll continue with the tour of the Fire Nation. Let's go."

"Wait."

Everyone looked at Sokka. He shrugged under the scrutiny. "That's kind of harsh, don't you think? Mai barely knows us, and we're just going to send her to kill _who-knows _how many swordguys? In _who-knows _what kind of situation? Who knows what kind of things could go wrong with that?"

"So," Katara asked, "what are you suggesting? I'm not leaving dad to just wonder what happened to us."

"Me neither, but I think it's a good idea if someone goes with her. She's on the team, now. Right?"

Everyone was silent. Then Toph raised a hand. "Not it!"

Sokka glared at her, to no effect. "When I said 'someone,' I was kind of thinking more of me."

"Are you sure you can, uh," Aang stammered, eyes shifting back and forth between Mai and Sokka. "I mean, she... uh..."

Mai rolled her eyes. "The great and mighty Avatar wants to know how _you_ know you can trust me."

"Sorry."

"No problem."

Toph let out a short, quick breath that pushed her hair away from her face. "Okay, I get the idea. Mai, sit your bony butt nice and tight against the ground. Hands on the ground, too, while you're at it."

Mai hesitated, not sure if she should be taking the blind girl seriously. No one else seemed to think that the request was odd. "Am I being mugged?"

"I can sense when people are lying. I can feel things like heartbeats, and other physical signs. My Earthbending senses are fine tuned enough to pick up on it all. It's part of what lets me 'see' in my own way."

Oh? Interesting. Mai thought herself very good at hiding her true feelings, and wondered if that extended to her innards. Now was not the time to test it, though. If she turned out to be too good at lying, then everyone would have trust issues with her again. Better to just play to everyone's naiveté. She sat down and pushed herself against the ground as requested. She was all messy, anyway. "I am not planning on betraying you, I can't think of anything that would make me want to betray you, and right now my only goal in life is cutting off the Fire Lord's left leg and feeding it to him. I'm not particular on whether he swallows the whole thing at once, or needs me to cut it into bite-sized pieces for him. Also, I really want a bath."

Toph nodded. "She's telling the truth, and she's a lot angrier than she's letting on."

Oh? Interesting. "So, anyone else coming along for this little trip?"

Sokka shook his head. "No, we have to play this smart. We can't risk Aang. Katara and Toph are his bending teachers, so they're valuable, too. You and I are just two fighters, and as good as you are, Dad's bringing a whole bunch more, so we're surplus. The most useful thing we can do is get into the capital, and figure out how we can derail the Fire Lord's plan to derail our plans to derail his big war plans. The rest of you, rendezvous with Dad. If you don't hear from us by the Invasion..." Sokka swallowed, and gave a thin, shaky smile. "On the one hand, I want to tell you to forget about it and get to safety. On the other hand, if you don't hear from us, we're probably in trouble, and I bet I'll really be wanting a rescue right about then. So, uh, just play it smart and see what you can do, okay?"

Following that, there was a round of hugging, in which Mai declined to participate. Katara didn't listen. She threw her arms around Mai, and whispered, "We're all in this together, and want to help you end this war before anyone innocent gets hurt. Look out for Sokka, and don't worry about how goofy he acts. He's a lot more helpful than he likes to talk about."

Aang hopped up onto the Appa before asking, "So, where do you want us to drop you off?"

Mai thought about that. She didn't want to waste too much time traveling, but she could hardly just show up at the Gates of Azulon. Not all the islands had regular boats running to the capital, and of those, not all of them saw a lot of traffic.

Then she thought of a good compromise. It saw a lot of travel and trade, and had plenty of direct transport to the Capital Caldera, both public and private. "Do you know Ember Island?"

* * *

Sokka could hardly believe that it was this easy. Who needed secret rivers when so much of the Fire Nation's island coasts were completely unguarded? They must not be used to having a Sky Bison flying around. Aang and Katara did their cloud trick, and this time they managed to fly in and land without announcing themselves to anyone (or any birds) who might have been hanging around. Mai and Sokka hopped off onto the deserted beach, and after a round of emotional waving (except for Mai, who had to drag Sokka off), the pair of infiltrators made for the cover of the local palms and ferns. "Okay, now what?"

"Now," Mai said, "we find out about the travel opportunities. Then we get new clothes, stealing money if we have to. Then we make sure we don't do anything suspicious before we get on our boat into _real _danger."

Sokka nodded. "Right. So, what kind of island is this?"

"The most dangerous kind. Teenagers come here to _socialize_."

Oh? Interesting. "So, like a vacation spot? I didn't think the Fire Nation did vacations. How often do you come here?"

"I've never been. I'm not big on _sand_. Or _sun_. Or wild _water_. Besides, my parents were always far too busy for vacations."

"Wild water? As opposed to domesticated water?" Sokka raised his eyebrows at that, but Mai ignored him, leading him away from the coast. Judging by the maps they had consulted during the flight here, she was heading towards the main town. This spot on the island would be private residences, but there was a mass settlement by one of the larger swaths of smooth coastline. "So, what did your parents do for fun?"

"Kowtow to the Fire Lord. Do favors for any politician who asked. Encourage me to become Azula's best friend, and-slash-or get caught in a scandal with her brother Zuko if I could manage. You know, basically chase power and prestige."

Sokka didn't feel himself trip, but somehow wound up eating sand anyway. "Azula? _Zuko?_"

Mai stopped and turned to look down at him, eyebrows raised. "You know them?"

"We... met a few times, yeah." Sokka pushed himself back to his feet. "Zuko kinda chased us for a while, and Azula picked up where he left off. Then she took Ba Sing Se right out from under us. I'm... not a fan."

"Hm. Fair enough."

The walk continued in silence for a while, but there was one point Sokka didn't want to give up on quite so easily. "So, your family really didn't do anything for fun? Your mom and dad seemed really into your baby brother, and he was a pretty smiley baby. Not much of a resemblance to you, now that I think about."

Mai didn't turn around as she answered him. "Well, the existence of me and Tom-Tom are proof that my parents had _some_ sense of fun. They were married just six months before I was born, and Tom-Tom was a surprise. But for me, no, there were no vacations. If I wasn't playing with Azula or going to the Academy, I was practicing something or another."

Sokka tried to wrap his head around that. His dad had a _great _sense of humor, and while life in the tribe could be tough, especially as the years went on, there was always time for a snowball fight, or an occasional long ride out to the sea. At least before Mom died. "I guess they wanted the best for you."

"Reasonable guess, I suppose. Too bad they were never particularly observant about it."

* * *

The pair had made their way into the town without trouble, and colorful signs pointed them to ferries that could take them to the Capital. They ran every other day, and cost a good (or, as Sokka had put, "evil,") amount. Tomorrow, several would be setting out early in the morning, for a reasonable price. The next step was procuring clothes that didn't look like they had come through a fight with a freak Firebender. "Ooh," Sokka said, leaning against one of the town square's wayposts that were plastered with commercial posters, "let's get swimsuits!"

Since they weren't on a tight schedule, Mai indulged in a good, long rolling of her eyes. "And why would we do that?"

"Well, unless you want the whole beach to get a look at my Water Tribe loin-padding, we should probably get something that would blend in a little better."

Mai didn't want to imagine that. Really. It was an involuntary reflex. "Charming. And what makes you think we'll be swimming?"

His only response was a pair of big, pleading eyes.

Mai sighed. "Oh, all right. It's hot, and I suppose some casual summer wear wouldn't be amiss."

"Great!" He began looking around at all the young men and women walking about the place. "For me, I'm thinking a pair of those baggy short pants, and no shirt but a light vest instead. You... I think you could pull off one of those tops there, on the girl with the pigtails, and a light miniskirt. Black, of course. It goes well with your skin."

Mai glanced at the examples he was pointing out, did some quick calculations in her head regarding overlapping surface area, and frowned. "I'm not dressing like a _tart_."

"It's for swimming!"

"I don't swim."

"Besides, I really think the look would work for you."

"The 'look' would leave me closer to naked than not."

"Y- um, well, that is a fair point. I have no answer to that."

Mai wasn't sure if he was agreeing with her or not. She sighed. "I'll pick out my wardrobe, once we have the cash for it. Let's see how much money we can steal."

"Are we mugging people, or begging?"

"Would you believe I'm actually a fairly good pickpocket? I had an uncle who taught me when I was a kid."

"That does not surp-" Sokka cut himself off _very _suddenly, and flipped around to the other side of the waypost so that it completely hid him.

Mai opened her mouth to question this _unusually_ odd behavior from him, when another voice sounded from somewhere behind her. "_Mai?_ Is that _youuuuuuu?_"

_Ty Lee?_

Mai turned around, and found herself embroiled in a decelerating hug by a white and flesh-colored blur that turned out to be her old friend Ty Lee, wearing a swimsuit not unlike what Sokka had just been describing. The girl had grown up a bit since Mai last saw her. "What are _you_ doing here? The last letter you sent me said you were going to run away to the circus." She returned Ty Lee's hug, putting a slight but meaningful effort into it.

Ty Lee eased away, and gave Mai a rather ambiguous look. "Things have changed a bit."

"Of course," another voice said. "Time only stands still for peasants and the other unimportants."

Mai bowed immediately. It might have been a while, but she still remembered how to behave herself around Princess Azula.

"Now," Azula went on, her tone suggesting only incidental curiosity, "who were you talking to just now?"

Mai kept her face blank, and tried to think of what to say. Azula was probably even better at detecting lies than the Toph girl, and-

Sokka stepped back from around the waypost. Or, rather, Sokka in a giant fake beard. He dropped to the ground in a full kowtow. "_WANG FIRE_, AT YOUR SERVICE, YOUR MAJESTY!"

* * *

"The truth of the matter is that I'm not here on vacation," Mai was saying a few minutes later. "Several days ago, a strange Firebender showed up on my doorstep and killed Piandao."

Any other girl would have had to put some acting into that lie, but not Mai. To Sokka's eye, she remained as deadpan as ever, although the shape of her eyes betrayed the stress she was under. Sokka had only learned to see it as they had all worked to save Piandao's life, when Mai finally showed some real human reactions. He was sure that Azula caught on to it as well.

Azula quirked a curious eyebrow. "Who would do something like that?"

"I don't know," Mai sighed. "I wasn't eager to get involved. The Firebender was _big_, and had a strange style I'd never even heard of before. He did something that shot a ray out of his head, and then whatever he was looking at would explode. I wasn't eager to show myself for the life of a man I was only married to for politics' sake."

Azula's other eyebrow rose to the join the first. "I... have heard of such a thing. It isn't very well known. But what have you done since then?"

"What else? Stayed hidden, and tried to get back to the Capital. I was going to take a boat there tomorrow. I doubt it was just a random act of violence, but I have no idea who could have been involved in such a thing. Who could I possibly trust? Besides you, of course."

"Of course." Azula tapped her chin thoughtfully for a moment, seemingly oblivious to Mai's presence. Finally she relaxed, and turned to face her friend. "Well, you're safe now. Let's get you some clothes, and then you can come back to Li and Lo's cottage with me and Ty Lee. And your, ah, servant-?"

Sokka bowed. "INDEED, YOUR MAJESTY. PIANDAO OFFERED ME A JOB AFTER I WAS DISCHARGED FROM THE SERVICE FOR MY BUM LEG." He knocked on his left knee as a demonstration. His leg was fine, of course, but he doubted that Azula knew what a bad leg sounded like. "HE SAID TO ME, 'Wang, my boy, I need you to keep an eye on my wife. She's a wild one, and I won't have her dragging my honor through the mud with all her wild antics.' OF COURSE, THE LADY MAI IS ABOUT AS ACTIVE AS A WATER TRIBE ROCK GARDEN, BUT I'VE BEEN EARNING MY PAY THESE LAST FEW DAYS, HELPING TO KEEP HER SAFE AND OUT OF SIGHT. (GIRL COULDN'T FIND HER OWN BACKSIDE WITHOUT MY HELP, YOU KNOW.)"

Ty Lee giggled. Sokka decided that it would be in-character to wink at her. He had come to the conclusion that this style of swimsuit worked much better on the acrobat than it would have on Mai.

Azula considered him like she was inspecting a child's first attempt at making a boomerang. Actually, the Fire Princess looked astonishingly cute in a bikini, too.

And with _that_ chilling thought, Sokka swore off ogling women for the rest of his life.

"Well, uh, Warrior Fire," Azula said, "you seem to have done a not inadequate job. You can go now."

"Actually, would it be a problem if I kept him on retainer?" Everyone turned to look at Mai, but there was little point. She seemed bored with the whole situation. "He's trustworthy, and it would be a comfort at least until the weird Firebender is caught."

Azula rolled her eyes. "Oh, very well. I suppose you can be allowed to maintain some sentimental mementos of your brief marriage." _Allowed?_ Sentimental mementos? So, Azula was Mai's _friend_, was she? "However, he's a servant, and a boy. It wouldn't be proper for him to share a small house with us. He can sleep on the porch."

Yes, Sokka was definitely not going to enjoy the chance to get to know Azula.

* * *

A brief shopping trip ensued, and Mai managed to fight off Ty Lee's attempts to assemble a completely inappropriate wardrobe; shawls and long skirts were more to Mai's liking. The group returned to the cottage where the Princess was staying, belonging to those two old ladies Li and Lo. Turned out they were still alive, although not really looking it.

"Go ahead and clean yourself up, Mai," Azula instructed, as they stepped inside. "We'll have dinner afterward, and then I have procured invitations to a local party. It would be good for you to attend, to get used to civilized society once again."

Civilized society? At a party for teenagers? "I'm not sure if that would be appropriate. After all, I'm technically a widow-"

"_I'm not giving you a choice, Mai._" Azula wheeled to face her, nostrils flaring. "If you're back, then you're going to have to get used to taking orders again. Tonight, we will attend the party and I will demonstrate my ability to both blend in and control my social peers. Tomorrow, we will go back to the capital and then I'll begin the inquiries into your 'husband's' death, if just to satisfy your inappropriate curiosity. Is that _clear?_"

Mai was suddenly reminded of the side of Azula she very much didn't like. She might have always enjoyed the way the Princess upended the boring life of a noble-in-training, and if she had to be honest (ugh), she used to thrive on the thrill of serving as Azula's personal super-predator, but the costs were very high.

Azula did not have relationships; she had people she liked to control.

This, though, was a little intense for her. Azula used to put up with Mai's token rebellions, and trusted her judgment on various matters. Azula most certainly did not throw tantrums over unimportant misunderstandings. Mai began to wonder what kind of mess she was stepping into, with this whole Invasion Support plot, but kept that hidden as she bowed gracefully. "My apologies, Princess. I did not realize I was being difficult. I appreciate your tolerance as I readjust to my old lifestyle."

Azula instantly calmed. "I knew I could count on you, Mai." She immediately turned and headed deeper into the house.

Mai looked behind her. Ty Lee was standing there, looking uncomfortable. Out on the porch, Sokka was keeping himself amused with his 'Wang Fire' posturing, and apparently hadn't heard the outburst. "So, Ty," she whispered. "Is there something I should be aware of?"

Ty Lee swallowed. "Let's go change."

* * *

"Azula found me in the Earth Kingdom," the acrobat said later in the room they would be sharing. "She wanted my help finding Zuko. Their dad- uh, the Fire Lord- wanted Zuko and that nice Uncle Iroh arrested. So, we did some chasing, and I would rather have stayed in the circus, but I tried my best to support Azula and things got a little complicated and Zuko kept escaping and I wasn't really doing anything with him that was _wrong_, you know? So eventually Zuko got to Ba Sing Se, and we only saw him once or twice after that and he didn't even write me!"

Mai just nodded. It didn't have to make sense.

"So, you know how we took Ba Sing Se? Well, it turned out that the _Avatar_- if you can believe it- was there, too, and I was excited about meeting him but that didn't go well with our other plans. We had some help from this powerful local guy, and I didn't like him because he seemed kind of mean and he had a really scary voice, but his Dai Li Earthbenders were helpful, but they couldn't find Zuko for us, so even though we took Ba Sing Se and chased away the Avatar, we kind of failed Azula's original mission, you know?"

Mai just nodded. Interesting.

"So, I came back with Azula, because I figured she could really use a friend, right? But, she's been… _prickly _lately. Like you. Only she doesn't enjoy it. I don't know what her dad- uh, the Fire Lord- thinks about things, but Azula's aura is getting darker. This vacation was supposed to help relax her, but she's still so intense! I'm glad you're here- oh, uh, sorry about your husband. Was he nice? I hope he was nice, but you'll be okay, and I'm sure you can be happy again. I hope you were happy. Anyway, I'm glad you're here. Maybe you can help Azula be herself again."

Mai just nodded. Fat chance of that.

"So, you and Zuko are completely in the past, right?"

Huh? "Huh?"

* * *

Azula was _not _pondering Mai. She was performing a little extra analysis while she got ready for the party. It would be inefficient not to do anything with her brain during that time.

Azula's brain had a lot to say about Mai. It noted the very convenient timing of Mai's return, and the presence of a previously unheard-of servant who seemed to serve no real function, especially not given Mai's seemingly unchanged personality and behavioral issues. And Piandao was dead, was he?

Azula would be a fool to fully trust her old 'friend.' There was no doubt that Mai would serve the Princess, though; the only question was if she was smart and would do so willingly, or if her mental faculties had deteriorated and Azula would have actively manage the situation.

Either way, Azula was fully in control, and let she herself sigh with relief.

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	5. Spares

**Partners in Blades - 05 - Spares**

Ty Lee wasn't really one to think too hard about things. Thinking just got in the way of your feelings and your senses. Thinking was really just putting your feelings in a nice and fancy dress, anyway, since anyone who thought about something for long enough could justify pretty much _anything_.

The only problem was that feelings could be fooled, too, and they could be exploited. So, when Ty Lee got the vague feeling that she had met Wang Fire before, she wasn't quite sure what to do about it. Mai was her friend, and it was great that she was back, but what did that mean, exactly?

Ty Lee wouldn't worry about it. She was here at the beach with her friends, and so what if Mai was maybe playing a game that might be treason. You had to trust your friends.

Right?

* * *

"So, girls, here's the plan," Azula said as they set out into the dusky evening.

Mai bit back a sigh. Oh goody, more planning. It seemed like she was doing it every day, now. What had happened to the good old days of sitting around until it was time to throw a knife at something? Being part of a brain trust was definitely over-rated; it was the life of a goon for Mai.

"Ty Lee earned the attentions of one 'Chan.' This boy will be hosting a social gathering tonight, and attending will supposedly be all the most important adolescents in the Nation. Chan has an ally, Ruon Jian, who will be the focus of my own romantic pursuits. Ty Lee will monopolize Chan's time, leaving Ruon Jian alone and open to attack. Mai, you watch my back as I vector in on him. Our backup plan is that if anything goes wrong in my pursuit, give the usual signal- you remember, the one we used years ago to signal when my mother was coming- to Ty Lee. At that signal, Ty will break off her own flirting with Chan and I will cease my interactions with Ruon Jian. I will attempt to console Chan for his 'loss,' thus initiating romantic interactions with him. Mai, you screen me from Ruon Jian. Ty… well, find something to occupy yourself. Any questions?"

"AND WHAT WILL I BE DOING, YOUR MAJESTY?"

Azula spun to face 'Wang Fire,' and Mai resisted the urge to slap her own forehead. He couldn't just lie low, could he? And where had she picked up _a headsmacking _habit?

"Heel," Azula barked. Sokka came to a sudden halt. "Stay. _Stay._" Azula backed away a few steps, and when Sokka didn't follow her, nodded with evident satisfaction. "Good servant. Good! Tell Li or Lo that you earned a treat."

As the three girls continued on their way, Azula leaned over to whisper to Mai. "I know this one has nice eyes, but you can't just pick up a servant off the street and expect him to behave properly. You need to train them, Mai. Speak in a firm voice, and don't be afraid to use punishment as reinforcement."

Mai once again felt the urge to smack her forehead. She really had to do something about that. What if she was holding a knife when the feeling came again?

* * *

Oh no. Sokka was _not_ going to let Mai out of his sight when she was in the company of the Crazy Lightning Princess and her Cute Pink One partner. Aside from the fact that she was an important part of The Plan, he considered Mai a Friend, and no Friend deserved to face Azula alone. Good thing he was so skilled at sneaking and stalking. Still in character as Wang Fire, he tiptoed along the coast, making sure to keep the trio of girls just at the edge of his sight, but never in a direct line in front of him.

He made sure to get his treat from one of the old ladies first, though.

Actually, Sokka had become quite fond of Mai in the short time he had known her. The idea of women warriors was still relatively new to him, but it was an idea for which he had an ever-increasing fondness. Sure, there was something special about a girl like Yue, who embodied everything he had always fantasized about in a girlfriend, but Sokka himself didn't live up to the invincible warrior of his own dreams, and it had become distressingly clear that you couldn't have one aspect of that fantasy without the other. If such a thing was possible at all. So girls who could take care of themselves, who existed as strong individuals in control of their own lives, really matched more what was in his heart.

When it came down to it, his heart was all about being happy with the people he loved, and if that meant fighting through bad times, then that was what they all had to deal with, together.

Not that Sokka was into Mai that way. She was technically married. Probably. And she was Fire Nation. That didn't fit his preconceived notions at all. Never mind that his preconceived notions were already pretty junky.

It was with that thought that Sokka noticed that he had completely lost Azula's crew while thinking too much about Mai. Darn it.

* * *

They were early for the party, it turned out, and when Azula finally understood that, she snorted out a puff of dark smoke. "Why must everyone misuse language? Our ancestors gave words certain meanings for a reason, and that was so that we wouldn't behave like barbarians. Just what are they teaching in the Boys' Academies, anyway? Well, never mind for now. Mai, begin staking out your observational post. Ty Lee, move in on your primary target. We might as well take advantage of the lack of competition."

Ty Lee moved up to walk beside Chan as they led them deeper into this house. "You know, seeing you walking from behind, your muscles look even _bigger_. Your shoulders are so wide and _impressive_."

Mai rolled her eyes at the boy's goofy expression. Who would want to cuddle up to a moron like that? Smarter boys were so much better company. Although, where exactly had she come up with that impression? Everyone Mai had ever met was a moron. Well, maybe not Piandao, in certain ways. And Sokka was proving surprisingly competent in certain areas. Hey, he actually managed to fool Azula today. He might be smarter than he seemed.

Hadn't Katara said something like that?

The group arrived in a large entertaining room, but for now only a single boy- who was actually preening at himself in a mirror- occupied it. He turned when he saw their footsteps. "Hey, first ones here, huh?

Mai hung back at the room's entrance, while Azula smiled and walked towards him. "Yes, our punctuality is unmatched. In fact-"

The boy walked right past her and up to Mai. "So, I haven't seen you before. I'm Ruon Jian. You've probably heard of me. I'm really glad your friends brought you to the party. You have very nice hair. I love the way you do it in the classic style. It gives you such an _elegant_ look."

Mai decided that this counted as something wrong. She subtly signaled to both Azula and Ty Lee. The latter was too busy leaning towards Chan, and the former just glared fireballs.

* * *

It took Sokka a while, but finally he had been able to get directions to Chan's house. Sure, maybe he had stopped along the way to buy some fried meats from the vendors littering the streets, and there had been this one place that was selling _frozen custard _that Sokka couldn't pass up the chance to try, but that was because he had every confidence that Mai could take care of herself. He was coming along just in case, because he was very thoughtful that way.

The door to the mansion was left wide open, and teenagers wandered in and out at will. Most of those going in were in single-gender groups, and most of the ones going out were in pairs that stared at each other a little too intently, but Sokka was a master of infiltration. He marched through the door, stroking his beard, and inched around the loitering teenagers. "EXCUSE ME, COMING THROUGH. OFFICIAL PARTY INSPECTOR, NOTHING TO SEE HERE. JUST ANOTHER SERVANT, TREATS ARE WELCOME, TIPS ARE PROHIBITED BY LAW. OH, EXCUSE ME, MISS, THAT WAS MY FOOT."

Finally, he reached what looked like the main party location. Music was playing, and for some reason it sounded familiar and reminded him of Aang, of all people. There was a long snack table on one side of the room, and Sokka marked its location only in case he needed to use it as cover in the event of an Azula Attack. Speaking of whom, he spotted the Princess trailing after a musclehead with a vacant look in his eyes, who was in turn trailing after an embarrassed-looking Ty Lee. Okay, whatever that was, it looked like it was keeping them distracted. Now, where was Mai?

Ah, there. Sitting on a couch near a corner. Very in-character for her. Next to her was a boy.

A Pretty Boy, if Sokka knew the archetype.

Who was happily holding a tray of food out for Mai.

Who was talking to the boy, gesturing repeatedly with her hands in a way that was neither threatening or rude.

The Pretty Boy was listening, enraptured, while he continued to hold the tray of food out for her.

Mai took a dumpling and ate it, seemingly pleased with the offering.

Aw, slush no.

* * *

Mai had to hand it to Ruon Jian- the idiot had an attention span that Zuko would envy. She had been talking for at least half an hour about the various possibilities for styling her hair, going into as much boring detail as she could without putting herself to sleep, the whole time subtly incorporating the old come-get-me-out-of-trouble gesture into her demonstrative hand movements. Both of her friends were occupied with their own pursuits, though.

Since when did Azula's plans go _this _wrong?

Then a shadow with a ridiculously wide beard appeared beside her.

Aw, ashes.

* * *

The usual response for this kind of situation would be to stomp up to the Pretty Boy, either knock the snack tray out of his hands or lift him up by his collar, and then order him to get away from his… secret ally. Of course, that kind of thing was for _Firebenders_. Instead, Sokka glared sternly at the Pretty Boy and crossed his arms over his chest. "YOU'RE IN BIG TROUBLE, BUSTER."

The Pretty Boy looked up, the very picture of teenage defiance. "Who the flambé do you think you are?"

"FIRE. WANG FIRE, EMBER ISLAND ZONING ORDNANCE ENFORCER, FIRST CLASS. THIS PARTY, YOUNG MAN, IS IN VIOLATION OF CODE ONE ONE THREE EIGHT, DETAILING THE MAXIMUM OCCUPANCY OF A RESIDENTIAL BUILDING BASED ON THE RATIO OF BENDERS TO REGULARS. DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MANY FIREBENDERS ARE WANDERING THROUGH THIS PLACE RIGHT NOW?" Sokka stroked his beard in what he knew to be a very authoritative manner. "HOW DOES A NIGHT IN THE SLAMMER SOUND TO YOU?" He kept his glare on the Pretty Boy, but heard Mai snort softly below him.

The Pretty Boy had completely wilted against the glare of WANG FIRE. "This- this isn't even my house! My friend Chan! This- this is his dad's place! He's an admiral!"

Sokka let his jaw drop. "ARE YOU IMPLYING THAT YOUR FRIEND IS USING POLITICS TO INFLUENCE AN OFFICER OF THE LAW? THIS IS COMPLETE DEFIANCE OF HOME GUARD CODE ONE NINE EIGHT TWO! I'M CONSIDERING DECLARING MARTIAL LAW ON THIS WHOLE PROPERTY! WHERE'S YOUR FRIEND? IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SPEND A NIGHT IN THE SLAMMER, YOU'D BETTER TURN RAT-PIGEON!"

The Pretty Boy was on his feet faster than an Airbender on chi-enhancing tea. "Over there! Here, I'll take you to him!" The boy was off like a shot.

Instead of following him, Sokka quickly tugged the board off his face and tucked it back into his tunic. As he sat himself beside Mai on the couch, he untied his Warrior's Wolf Tail and let his hair hang loosely on either side of his face. "Rescued you just in time."

Mai just stared at him. "I don't know whether to be impressed or appalled. Let's just settle for being very disturbed."

"Fair enough."

"Azula could see you here."

"That's why my hair is down. I look like every other beach bum, now."

Mai sharpened her gaze and ran her eyes over his face. "Your ears are too distinctive, and she's already noticed your eyes. Just get going already."

Sokka sighed. "All right… wanna come with?"

Mai opened her mouth to respond, but then stopped. She looked out into the crowd, and Sokka followed her eyes across the room, where a confused-looking Pretty Boy was talking to Azula's Musclehead. Ty Lee was making very consoling eyes at Pretty Boy, and Azula took the opportunity to grab Musclehead's arm and lean against him. O- kay. That was some pretty inept flirting, but then, Sokka was hardly one to criticize.

"Yeah, sure," Mai finally said. "Looks like my mission is accomplished, anyway." She stood up gracefully, and Sokka followed suit. "But first, get us some food. You chased away my other servant boy."

* * *

Mai wasn't stupid enough to go back to Li and Lo's place. She'd hang around the general vicinity of the Chan household for a while, and meet up with Azula later. For now, though, she wanted _away_ from the noise and the people and the party. She and Sokka eased their way out of the house, and Mai led him around to its beachside face, where only a few external torches struggled against the night. They passed some couples who probably thought they were carrying on a torrid affair, but such cliché-driven romances mandated a hiding spot of some kind, and the beach itself was a completely open field of sand, lit up by the half-moon. They were alone, out here.

Mai sat down in the shadows of the house's balcony (laying her shawl down on the sand first, of course) and leaned against one of the support beams. Sokka joined her, setting down a pair of trays piled high with snacks.

Ooh, he had even snagged some fire flakes. "Good servant," Mai said.

"ALWAYS EAGER TO JUSTIFY MY EXISTENCE, OH GREAT AND POWERFUL MADAME."

Mai grimaced in the darkness. "Please don't. I want quiet now, and it doesn't work as well without the beard."

"Fair enough." They just sat there, both of them munching contentedly. It didn't take long for Sokka's need to hear himself talk fired off again. "So, nice moon."

"I guess."

"You know, it's actually a fish. And a princess."

"I'm sure that makes sense to _someone_ out there, but not me."

"Oh, well, I guess more explanation would help, huh? See, the Moon and Ocean Spirits were actually these fish. We saw them when we took Aang up to the North Pole. Except the Fire Nation attacked, and this guy- Zhao, you may have heard his name at some point- killed the Moon Spirit. So this Princess- her name was Yue, and she was… um, my very good friend- used her connection with the Spirits to become the new Moon Spirit. So now she's up there. And I'm here."

Mai wondered why he was telling her all this. Several ideas came to mind, but she decided she didn't want to explore any of them right here and now. "At least you know where she is. Piandao could be dead for all I know."

"So, you really do care for him, huh?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing! You two just seemed like you had an odd arrangement going there, for a while. But it's none of my business."

"No, it isn't," she said with as much force as she cared to muster. Which turned out not to be a lot. "But I guess even surrogate-parent relationships have their ups and downs."

Sokka smiled in the moonlight. "Actually, Piandao reminds me a lot of my dad."

"Hakoda?"

"Yeah, I think you'll like him, when you meet him."

Before she could question the likelihood of either of them surviving this plot that would take them to the heart of the Fire Nation, blue torchlight illuminated the entire beach, and a harsh voice erupted from the balcony above them.

"_Together, you and I will be the strongest couple in the entire world. We will dominate the Earth!_"

There was a moment of silence, then the balcony knocked with the sound of rapidly running feet. The torches returned to their small, natural flames right after that.

"Gotta hand it to her," Sokka said, "she's a unique one."

"Thank the First Flame. Speaking of which, I'm cold."

"Ohhhh," Sokka drawled. "I have a great idea about how we can keep warm."

Mai was completely unsurprised when his idea consisted of grabbing three long pieces of driftwood and offering her two. "Jian practice!"

In the dark, Mai felt herself smile. That was actually _exactly_ what she could use right now. "Whatever," she said, standing up. She untied her skirt and left it with her shawl; she preferred the shortpants she was wearing underneath if she was going to be dodging around the sand. "Let's see if you can fight off two swords at once again. As I recall, you cheated last time by using your sheath to block."

"That's cheating? But that's exactly what you taught me to do!"

"Yes. I taught you to cheat."

"Sure, sure. Let's see if you can do better without your cheating knives to fall back on."

"Knives aren't cheating."

"Whatever."

"Don't steal my line."

"Whatever."

"Now you're being annoying _on purpose_."

It was a good workout.

* * *

The only one who had seemed to be in a good mood after the party was Mai. Azula and Ty Lee had stayed for as long as either of them could stand it, and when they finally made their escape, Mai silently popped out of the shadows outside to join them, her face about as blank as always, but her aura was a very bright pink. They found Wang Fire sleeping in a rocking chair on the porch when they got back, and Azula did a very mean thing when she kicked the chair out from under him. That turned his aura from a very lovely purple straight into red.

Azula's aura was black, all night long.

Yes, this vacation was definitely not helping Azula relax at all. Ty Lee, for her own part, was finding it to fall short, too. All the boys wouldn't leave her alone the whole time she was at the party, and while she wasn't the type of girl who liked to break hearts, she just couldn't enjoy their attention. Not without knowing where Zuko was, or what he was doing.

Was he still working with that Kyoshi Warrior?

Was it possible that Mai would know anything about that? Or even cared?

It was a sleepless night, and the next morning, the entire group (plus Wang Fire) boarded the boat back to the Capital.

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	6. Invention

**Partners in Blades - 06 - Invention**

Fire Lord Ozai sat amidst the flames of his eternal throne, feeding on the heat on the fires that he himself called into being, and decided on the fate of the traitor.

It was no casual decision. Although his word alone would decide whether the girl Mai lived or died, only by giving the choice all due importance did it continue to reflect his greatness. If he were to treat the matter as casually as he would the decision to have tea with his lunch, then the choice would lose all significance. Only by acknowledging that a human life was at stake, an entire childhood leading to an adult with her own feelings and desires, did the issue become one worthy of a Fire Lord. No one but he decided if a human being lived or died- his soldiers killed at his word, Agni Kais were fought to establish the nature of his Will as expressed through the Fire, and populations starved for want of his leadership. All life, all death, came from Ozai.

This girl should be honored that he considered the matter at all. So many people under his power didn't even merit the luxury of an identity. That he acknowledged hers, and spent the time to decide if it would continue to exist, was a gift so many people craved, and so few were blessed with.

* * *

That night, Fire Lord Ozai would examine Mai's entire being in the dark center of his mind, but early that day, she was simply glad to be back _home_. Not Shu Jing, where Piandao's castle was a pockmarked wreck. Not Omashu, where Mother and Father and Tom-Tom got through rough days with the power of shared love. Mai had finally returned to the Caldera City, to the house where she grew up.

The first thing she did was march right into her old bedroom and throw a knife at the woodwork above her bed.

Ahhhh.

"Wow," came Sokka's voice. "I didn't think the décor was _that_ bad."

Mai turned to see him standing in the doorway. "What are you doing in my bedroom?"

As he walked in, the Water Tribe warrior casually tugged off his Wang Fire beard and slipped it into his tunic. "I followed you, obviously. Wow, there isn't even any dust. Did those servants _run_back here ahead of us? And then give the place a once-over with some kind of steam-powered broom machine?"

Mai sighed. "A girl's room used to be sacred. You didn't even wipe your feet."

"Let me know if you want to get changed. I'll turn around. Wow! Is that the Fire Lord's palace?" He ran over to the large window and leaned out over the railing. "It's exactly as big and pointy as I expected it to be!"

Mai sighed once more. If she did it enough, maybe he'd notice.

Footsteps sounded from the hallway, and Sokka quickly put his beard back on and whipped himself over to the door. "WHO GOES THERE! THE LADY MAI IS BUSY SIGHING IN HER PRIVATE QUARTERS. YOU THERE, EXPLAIN YOURSELF AND BE QUICK ABOUT IT!"

One of the household servants stopped short of the blustery teenager. At a loss for words, he held up the scroll in his hands.

"MAIL CALL? GOOD MAN! I'D TIP YOU BUT I LEFT MY COINS IN MY LUGGAGE. BE A GOOD MAN AND GO FIND IT FOR ME. I'LL DELIVER THIS MISSIVE FOR YOU. BEGONE!"

Once the servant had left, Sokka looked like he was about open her mail and read it aloud in his Wang Fire voice, so Mai snipped that target by stepping over and snatching the scroll out of his hands before he could even make a sound. She unrolled it and read. "It's from the palace."

"…and?"

Mai stopped herself short of sighing. Maybe the reason Sokka didn't react to it was because she did it so often. "I have an appointment with the Fire Lord this afternoon. He wants to hear _everything _about the attack on Piandao. It's to be a private audience."

* * *

Playing Mai's servant for the rest of the day was a very educational experience. She was usually so calm and collected, unless an actual moment of crisis and battle was happening, so seeing her nervous in her idleness was a brand new experience. She started by throwing more knives against he wall. (Judging by the many, _many_ pre-existing notches in the woodwork, not only was this a habit of hers, but it had been for so long that even her nobility parents had given up on fixing the damage.) After she went through her whole supply of sharp things, reloaded, and went through the whole set _again_, she planted herself on her bed with a sharpening kit, and methodically fixed up every single knife she could get her hands on. She continued on to her swords, both sharpening and cleaning them. Then she moved to the vanity, undid her hair, combed it out, and redid her hair-plumb-thingies.

The really interesting part of all this was that Mai never got twitchy, never changed her pace of movement, never made a single facial expressions. She moved through it all with the grace and stoicism of a well-oiled machine.

Finally, Sokka came up with a solution. "You should eat something!" He had noticed, at Ember Island, that Mai's mood seemed to improve (slightly) based on her proximity to meals.

"_Yes_," Mai hissed. "Good idea. Tell the servants to make me Fire Flakes." Sokka turned to do so, but before he could get out of the room, she spoke out again. "No, wait. Not Fire Flakes. Just rice."

"Rice?"

"Rice."

Rice it was. She was really good with chopsticks.

At last, the time came to head to the palace. Sokka put his beard back on and walked just a step behind his friend as she left her house and headed across the street.

She glanced at him. "What are you doing?"

"Coming with."

"You really want to press your luck that far?"

He smiled beneath the disguise. "Big palace like that? Servants will be invisible, and you're high-class enough to have one of your own following you around. You shouldn't need to do this alone."

"How noble of you." She didn't sound particularly flattered.

"Besides, while you're doing _your_ thing, it will be interesting to see what I can stumble across in the heart of the Fire Nation. Not that anyone in that palace has a heart, but you know, it's a popular metaphor."

It was hard to tell, but the corners of Mai's mouth might have quirked upward. "Ah, a thought process. Much more comforting. Don't die if I don't."

* * *

The Crimson Guard ushered her right into the throne room. She was precisely on time without even trying.

Mai hated the throne room.

Ozai sat up on the Burning Throne, hidden behind the fires. He kept them at the perfect intensity to cast himself in shadows even as they highlighted his frame. The rest of the room, with its tall pillars and polished black floor, was left in darkness. The décor and colors (or lack of them) reminded Mai of herself. Her hair perfectly matched the floor, and the burgundy walls shared a color with her robes. It was like her prone body had been turned into a room, with a fire burning right where the top of her head was supposed to be. It was like her childhood with Azula all over again.

Speaking of whom, Azula herself was waiting inside. She knelt comfortably, but her back was ramrod straight, and the skin around her eyes was tight.

Mai ignored the Princess. She knew what decorum demanded from her. Mai knelt a step forward from Azula's position, and lowered herself into a full kowtow. She was prepared to hold it, completely silent, for hours if needed.

Fortunately, Ozai didn't seem to be in a mood for games. "You may rise."

Mai did so.

"Azula has told me of the recent events in your life, but I would hear them in your own words. Begin when you were bound to him, and tell me what my servant Piandao has done with his life."

* * *

Those red-armored Firebenders were either hardcore warriors or the laziest guards in the world. Sokka waved at them professionally as he passed by them, and said, "WELL, MY MISTRESS WILL PROBABLY BE A WHILE, SO I'LL JUST POP ON OVER TO THE SERVANTS' WING AND SEE IF I CAN BE OF USE. I LIVE TO SERVE, AS THEY SAY. PROBABLY TRY TO PICK UP ON THE LATEST GOSSIP, TOO. WE SERVANTS LOVE TO TALK ABOUT OUR MASTERS. BUY ME A DRINK SOME TIME AND I'LL TELL YOU ALL ABOUT LADY MAI'S FRUIT TART SCANDAL. TOOTLES!"

Neither moved as Sokka ambled his way into one of the smaller hallways. Now, if he were super secret Fire Nation intelligence, where would he be hiding?

* * *

"I'd never seen a Firebending art like that. Even Piandao couldn't fight it. After the warrior killed my husband, he went on to attack the soldier trainees, although I wasn't watching at that point, so I can't say who initiated that conflict. The students didn't do any better than their master. I continued to hide in the mansion, and luckily the attacker didn't have any desire to knock it down, because I'm sure he could have. My personal manservant also survived, so we began making our way back here, trying to stay hidden as much as possible. Piandao had many enemies, I'm sure, but I never became so embroiled in his life that I was confident in my ability to tell if I was still in any danger." Her story complete, Mai gave a small bow towards the Fire Lord.

Behind her, Azula spoke up. "It is exactly as I told you, Father."

"Yes, Azula. It is indeed. That, at least, is in your favor."

"Father?"

Ozai stood up, but it still left the details of his face in the darkness. "I believe perhaps that I begin to understand your flaws. It is to your credit that you managed to do that which has stymied generations of our family before you. When pitted against your enemies, you perform magnificently. It is your supposed allies' machinations that you seem to be blind to."

Mai kept her eyes forward, and her body still. She was no political prodigy, but even Sokka could have figured out that the situation called for plenty of neutral jing.

"Father, I-"

"Take your partnership with Long Feng. You know of the increasing troubles the Ba Sing Se governor has had with him. Now, while you were on Ember Island, news reached me that Long Feng, along with his closest allies in the Dai Li, all disappeared from Ba Sing Se. Perhaps the assassination of Piandao was the beginning move in his own gambit to ruin my plans."

Mai blinked. Was the Fire Lord implying that he didn't really know who was behind it? But, didn't _he_ order the hit?

Behind her, Azula was speaking up again. "Father, that isn't my fault! I warned the governor not to trust Long Feng! He was a useful ally, but I could see that he was nothing more than a self-serving peasant."

"Perhaps. What excuse do you offer for losing track of Zuko?"

Silence. Apparently, Azula didn't have one.

Fire Lord began stepping down from the throne, through the fires to the polished black floor. "And now this one, this Mai. Azula, I specifically noted that I wished to speak to the girl _alone_. Remove yourself from my presence. I will let you know when I have use of you again."

Mai tensed, half expecting Azula to attack _someone_, if not the Fire Lord. But after a moment, Azula snapped up to her feet and strode out of the room. Her boots were very loud against the floor.

Mai was now alone with the Fire Lord. She worked hard to keep her breath steady as he approached her. Too bad she wouldn't have been allowed to bring her knives in here. She suddenly felt like they were the only things that could possibly win her safety.

* * *

"OH NO, YOU CAN'T JUST WALK INTO THAT MEETING!"

The servant girl, who might have been pretty if she didn't look so stressed, gaped at him. "But the generals ordered these pastries! Get out of the way, I'm going to be late!"

She tried to push past Sokka, but nothing got past _Wang Fire!_ He sidestepped to keep blocking the girl's way, and grabbed the other side of the pastry bowl. "BELIEVE ME, MISS, I RESPECT YOUR DEVOTION TO DUTY! BUT I HAVE A DUTY TO THE GLORY AND SECURITY OF THE FIRE NATION! THE GENERALS HAVE BEGUN DISCUSSING _THE PLANS_. YOU KNOW, FOR _THE THING_. THERE'S NO WAY A SECURITY RISK LIKE YOU CAN BE ALLOWED INTO THE ROOM RIGHT NOW! WHAT WOULD PRINCESS AZULA THINK?"

The girl paled at that. "I…"

"BUT DON'T WORRY! _I_, WANG FIRE, WILL DELIVER THIS FOOD FOR YOU. IF ANYONE ASKS, I'LL BE SURE TO MENTION YOUR NAME AS THE SOURCE OF THESE DELICIOUS PASTRIES! UNLESS PRINCESS AZULA IS ASKING. THEN I'LL TELL HER THAT IT WAS THE OTHER GIRL, BECAUSE YOU SEEM LIKE A NICE LASS."

It just wasn't a fair match. Palace servants were probably encouraged to do as little thinking as possible. This girl just worked her mouth silently for a minute, trying to figure out what Sokka was telling her, before handing over the bowl and bowing. She scuttled away without even a thanks.

Nice. Shouting at people was a really effective strategy. However, Sokka was worried that he was getting too used to it; this habit was going to get him in trouble with Katara.

Munching a pastry, Sokka headed deeper into the palace.

He didn't know Ty Lee was following him until she swept his legs out from under him.

* * *

"Now," the Fire Lord said, standing above Mai's kneeling form, "why don't you tell me the _truth_ about Piandao."

"The truth?"

Ozai kicked at her. It wasn't a little punt, either. He drew a leg back and brought it up hard enough to lift her to her feet and into the air, if she had stayed put. Mai, though, reacted purely by instinct, tensing the arm and leg on her left side to block the blow, while her right leg propelled her backwards. The Fire Lord's blow still connected, and hurt like she had been clubbed with a wooden training jian, but she absorbed most of the momentum and let it push her back.

"Very good," Ozai said. "You have a warrior's instinct. Now, begin again. What was Piandao's true agenda? What were his designs against _me_?"

"There were no-"

Ozai exhaled loudly, and both of his fists broke out into flame.

Mai wasn't afraid of Fire. You couldn't be and live in the Fire Nation. Moreover, anyone who grew up around Azula would quickly learn not to flinch when the flames came close. It was far from the only thing that could hurt someone in this world, and at least Fire didn't obey the commands of the country's enemies.

Mai counted Ozai as an enemy, now, and while she had never personally seen his handiwork, there were nightmares that she never spoke of that involved both Fire, and someone's- a very good friend's- face.

"He was plotting to kill you!"

Ozai stared at her.

"It was going to be coup!" Mai didn't bother concentrating on what her face was doing. Her entire mind- the same mind that could dash through a chaotic battle and plot a vector between the small piece of metal in her hand a target the size of a spiderfly- was focused on inventing a way to live. "His students, the swordsmen. He spoke to them, taught them about freedom, and valuing balance. You know, junk like General Iroh used to spout. He recruited those he could bend to his will as disciples, with plans to someday kill you. He was going to use the Day of the Black Sun."

At that, Ozai blinked, but his face remained stern.

Mai lowered her eyes. "I found out, but I've always been pragmatic. Your daughter taught me that. So I went along with it, waiting to see if there was anything I could do to get away, but if not, oh well. I swear by the First Fire, I have no idea what was up with the crazy combustion man, but he gave me my opportunity to get away. So I took it."

Ozai stared at her for a long time. "And the plot?"

"I have no idea. But the swordsmen you've been assembling? They're in on it. Maybe they're going to go ahead with it. Ashes, they probably don't even know that Piandao is dead."

Ozai still didn't personally react, but the flames slowly died into nothingness on his fists. "And how do I know this is the truth? Moreover, why shouldn't I kill you, even if it is?"

Mai looked him straight in the eyes. "I'll kill them all for you. I'll protect you like Azula can't. The swordsmen trust me. Let me duel them, one on one, and I guarantee they won't hurt me. They'll try to make it look real, but they'll hold back. One by one, I'll kill all of them with a jian. Ask Azula, I've only been studying it since my marriage. There's no way I would be able to beat those guys by skill alone."

Ozai nodded, and actually gave her a smile. It was the same smile Azula used. "A trial by Fire? You have my respect, at least. But only the hottest flames can burn the truth free. You will fight ten at once, and I will have several of my generals on hand to observe. If they think this has all been faked… I will make it quick, at least, for your audacity."

Mai fell to the ground, forehead pressed fawningly to the floor.

* * *

It would be a good show, at least. Agni Kais were boring, unless Ozai himself was fighting one, and that opportunity came along too rarely. This, though, would be an excellent show. He doubted the girl's story, but she was a true Fire Nation beauty, and it would be a fine show indeed to watch her struggle to live, to strike with the Nation's passion, and to fall in combat, red blood leaking out like flows of lava that gave birth to their lands.

There was more than one way to burn your enemies.

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	7. Cheater

**Partners in Blades - 07 - Cheater**

Mai and Sokka sat together in the dark of the night, and pondered death.

It was no surprise that this was on both of their minds. They had come far, risked much, and as with any accomplishment, there was a price. Any achievement required time and effort, but the ones that were really worth going for- the ones that could save a life, or elevate people out of a bog of misery- those triumphs _always_ demanded a worthy sacrifice. In this, Sokka and Mai shared a preference; they would never let someone they loved make that sacrifice if at all possible. It didn't matter who would eventually benefit. The two teenagers- who had worked hard to learn how to fight in a world that gave everyone around them magic powers- would sacrifice for those they cared about without reservation.

Now, the time to pay the price had come, and they would face it together.

* * *

Before she would come to the end of the journey, Mai would have one last battle. She prepared for it in an unused room of the palace. However, although the room was unused, it wasn't empty. Remnants of Zuko's life lay abandoned in his old bedroom. Mai couldn't help but wonder who had decided to stick her here. If Ozai, it was probably either a careless coincidence or some manifestation of a freaky psychological flaw; if Azula, it was definitely a cruel joke.

At least the weapons she was being given were top quality. The two jian were undoubtedly Piandao originals, although gaudier than he typically liked to make. The scabbards were perfect for the court, decorated with plenty of golden etchings of flames. A few jewels (red, of course) added to the excessively bright facade. Each of the two swords had a solid gold carving fit over the butt, one a dragon and one a lionturtle, and a colored tassel was affixed within the mouth of each one.

The swords themselves, though, were more than functional. They were strong, and well balanced, and sharp.

Mai discarded her own decorative facade in preparation for the coming battle. She pinned the tails of her hair to the back of her head, and removed the more flowing layers of robes she wore. She preferred such styles mainly because they covered both her hidden knives and the hand motions she used to throw them, and the terms of this battle rendered both points moot. She wouldn't be allowed to fight with anything but a sword. It was too plausible that she could beat ten expert swordsmen if she had access to her preferred weapons.

Mai felt unpleasantly light in plain pants and a sleeveless tunic. Oddly, she hadn't felt any awkwardness when she wore a similar getup to train Sokka in the ways of the sword.

There was a knock at the door, and then Azula let herself in. The princess made a show of looking around the room with obvious amusement, and then turned a sneer at Mai. "I knew you were hiding something from me."

Mai shrugged. "No hard feelings. I was just thinking of my own survival. Honestly, I hope this works out for everyone. I live, you and your father rid yourselves of some traitors, and we can move on to focusing on the real mysteries."

"Oh, if only we could." Azula gave a dramatic sigh. It was different from Mai's usual sighing in that the princess didn't use the full power of her lungs; it was a shallow exhalation that was purely theatrical. "Perhaps, if you were telling the truth now, we could work something out. A pleasant exile for you, at least. The problem is that you're _still_ lying."

Azula must be out of practice, if she thought Mai would rise to her bait. Instead, the doomed girl just raised an eyebrow.

Azula nodded. "That's one thing I'll always love about you, Mai. You know the value of silence. But yes, you're still lying, and I know it. You claim you have no idea about the assassin who killed Piandao, but I know more than you think."

Oh?

"You see, I know that you had Zuko hire the man," Azula said.

Mai couldn't stop herself from blinking in surprise. "What?"

"Oh, yes, I figured it out. I remember how you used to have a crush on him when we were children, and it was all but assumed by everyone that you would have started something soon if he hadn't been banished. When Zuzu turned traitor in the Earth Kingdom, he contacted you, and found out about your marriage. In exchange for your help, he arranged to kill your husband and free you. Uncle probably masterminded that. Now, you've both thrown in with the Avatar's cults, and you're here to help destroy us all. The only point I'm not clear on, yet, is if this ridiculous tale about our Black Sun Guard being traitors is true and you're using your dead husband's plan to somehow play the situation to Zuzu's advantage, or if you made the whole thing up. Father's test should rather effectively determine that for us."

Azula crossed her arms and smiled with glowing triumph.

Mai- very deliberately- gave a laugh. "Wow, Azula. Do you get your servants to check under your bed every night, to see if your brother is waiting to get you when you go to sleep? Do you see his face in bowls of rice?"

She wasn't expecting Azula to quickly step forward and backhand her across the face. Mai tumbled back onto the old, stripped bed, more surprised than hurt by the blow. At least there hadn't been any fire.

Azula's glare was scalding enough. "_I'm at the top of my game!_ Father just wasn't clear on all the difficulties that have come up, but I've handled them flawlessly! Zuko's plot has been foiled! If you survive your trial, I'll use you to draw him out, and then I'll bring _his head_ back to Father."

Mai touched her own lips. No blood. She raised her eyes to match Azula's gaze with the full power of her indifference. "And then he'll love you? We've _both _played that game before. No matter what we do, we're replaceable assets. I can't fault you for still trying, because I'd probably be doing the same thing if I could, but you seem to be the only one in the room who hasn't figured the game out."

That had _done it_. Azula snapped into motion, quick hand motions summoning balls of blue fire in each palm, but before she could use them- before Mai could clear her swords from their sheaths- a heavy knock fell against the door. The unmistakably hollow voices of one of the guards called, "The Fire Lord is ready for the trial. The accused's presence is demanded in the throne room."

Azula just stood there for a long moment, and then dismissed the fire and quickly composed herself. "Good luck, Mai. I'll be rooting for you."

* * *

When Sokka came to, he was slumped a chair, his limbs were tingling like he had fallen asleep on top of them, and his face was free of the itching of the Wang Fire beard. He eased one eye-lid open, just barely, to scope out the situation before anyone knew he was awake.

Ty Lee's wide-eyed, oddly concerned face was hanging directly in front of him. "You're up! Finally!"

She was close enough that Sokka could smell her. (Assuming that the acrobat smelled like spice-peaches, of course.) He opened his eyes and sighed. "All right, all right, you got me. The truth is that Wang Fire really can't grow a beard yet. I started wearing the fake so that I could enlist before I was of legal age."

Ty Lee leaned back and giggled. "You're funny! Now that I realize who you are, I get that! Your Wang Fire act is _hilarious! _If you joined the circus, they'd pay you to do it at carnivals."

"Really?" A big grin lit up his face before he could control himself. "Er, I mean, you flatter me, but I'm just a colonist who wants to serve the Fire Lord."

"That's odd, because you look a lot like the boy who was with the Avatar in the big drill. You know, at Ba Sing Se? You waved to me!"

"…slush."

"What's that mean?" When Sokka didn't answer, Ty Lee frowned dramatically. She stood up straight and took a few steps back. With her face (and, uh, other bits) out of the way, Sokka could see that he was in a fairly dark room, filled with nothing but dusty furniture. There were a few chairs that had seen better decades, some of the low desks you had to kneel in front of, a couple of tables, and various other pieces that Sokka couldn't name but all looked like wealthy variations on common stuff. Ty Lee dragged over a small table and sat down on it, so that she was eye-level with Sokka.

"So," she said, "I have no idea what to do with you. Well, that's not true. I know it's what they say, but really, my problem is that I have lots of ideas, but I don't know which ones are good and which ones are bad. Usually, I just go with my feelings, but lately my aura was been shifting a lot, so I'm not sure _what_ I even _want! _You know?"

Sokka decided to nod. Common ground was always a good start.

* * *

The Fire Lord was seated behind the Fires, and as Mai entered, Azula was being allowed to step up and take a place at his left hand. Three men, all wearing Command armor from the Fire Army, were standing at the base of the steps leading up to the throne. In the center of the room, ten black-uniformed soldiers knelt in two parallel rows. Each of them balanced a naked jian blade in his lap. They all glared at Mai as she was escorted before them.

She kept her most indifferent, bored face on. They were all jerks anyway.

One of the standing commanders caught her gaze. "Are you ready?"

Mai drew her own swords. The lionturtle was in her right hand, the dragon in her left.

The commander barked a wordless command, and all ten soldiers rose as one. They stalked around her, spreading themselves out equally to surround. Satisfied with their places, they all took ready stances.

Mai positioned her swords defensively.

The Fires of the throne lowered, but did not die out, leaving them a silent barrier that left Ozai's eager face plain to see. "My will is that all the traitors in this room now die."

Exactly a dozen swords whistled through the air.

* * *

"I'm pretty good at coming up with unusual ideas," Sokka ventured. "So, maybe if you could tell me what you're feeling, the major things you think you want, I can come up with a way to make you happy? Seem fair?"

Ty Lee favored him with a relieved smile. "I knew you were a nice person. Okay, stuff I want? I want Azula to be calm and happy."

Sokka gave a very noncommittal nod to that.

"Also, I want Zuko to be all right. I want him and Azula to stop fighting and realize that family should love each other even if they can't really live together, you know? And I want to be able to go find Zuko, without hurting anyone. I don't want any of my friends to get hurt."

"Okay," Sokka said. "I can see why you're feeling stressed. Unfortunately, even a mad genius couldn't come up with a way to get Zuko and Azula to get along. I've _seen_ them fight, and while I got the impression that Zuko wished his sister would stay far away from him, Azula looked way too into the idea of killing her brother. Of the pair, I'm gonna have to say that my sympathies are with Zuko, here."

Ty Lee nodded sadly.

That was encouraging. "And, now, I don't want to make any promises, but you know, if you really want to leave, Mai and I aren't planning on sticking around here. With your help, I think we can all get out, alive. Which is my favoring way of leaving places, incidentally. I'm guessing that you're a fan, too. Now, it gets complicated from there, but the first part of the plan involves you untying me, and letting me leave without telling anyone."

Ty Lee sighed. "I know, I thought of that. But then I got to wondering why you were here, and Azula says that your Cult wants to kill her and the Fire Lord, so if you're here, maybe you're here to do that."

"Cult? No, no, no, we aren't a cult. We're a family. In the Water Tribe, it's easy to make someone a part of your family. You just go, 'Hey, you're okay," and (boom!) family. I mean that it's for real. All the people in my so-called cult? I'd die to protect them. Not that, you know, I'm hinting at anything with that. They're family, so they'd be _really_ sad if it came to that. I get the sense that you don't like making good people sad."

"_Are_ you good people?"

"Well, let me put it this way: I would have been more than happy to never worry about the Fire Nation ever if it hadn't sent a guy to kill my mother in my family's tent. My friends in the 'cult' are mainly concerned with not letting that type of thing happen any more. In any nation. Where do you figure Azula falls in that debate?"

Ty Lee looked stricken. Good.

* * *

There was no Mai. There was no Fire Lord. There were no people in the throne room. There were just the swinging, stabbing swords, and a bundle of reflexes in their center, completely free of thought.

Two of those swords fell to the ground in the first exchange. Neither of them was the lionturtle or the dragon.

* * *

"You're- you're getting off track. I want my friends and everyone to be okay."

Sokka smiled. "Hey, that's exactly what I'm talking about. The thing is, kiddo, that you have two kinds of people involved here. The ones who don't want to hurt anyone more than necessary, and the people who get their jollies by hurting people. Now, I used to figure Zuko for one of the latter, but you know, I haven't seen him in a while. He's definitely better than Azula. I would love- _love_- to give you the chance to go find him and help him become a better person. Once we finish up here (and the Avatar defeats the Fire Lord and ends the war) I'd like to help you do that."

Ty Lee stared at him, and her eyes looked like she was on the verge of crying. Okay, that would be uncomfortable, but probably not a bad thing.

* * *

When there were only six enemies standing, Mai allowed herself the luxury of being aware of her own existence. The soldiers hung back, wary of her effectiveness. They had every reason to be. Mai had seen the… _wrongness_ of their style when she observed their training, and she had come up with various ways to exploit it, but this was the first time she had ever put the ideas into practice. It wasn't _easy_, but with every move, she brought an opponent closer to defeat. It was like the way Piandao had described playing Pai Sho, thinking so many moves in advance, only in this fight, Mai didn't even need to think. The sequence of moves was built into her training.

Good thing she had practiced obsessively for the last year. There was nothing like boredom to inspire productivity.

One of the soldiers stabbed at her suddenly, but she caught the blade with her own, and pushed her weapon to slide forward against the edge. Her opponent tried to twist his own blade to block, but his position was completely off, and the point of her weapon struck home.

Five to go.

* * *

"So," Ty Lee wibbled, "when are you and Mai leaving? What did you come here for?"

Sokka frowned. "Honestly, it's really complicated. The basic idea is that all my friends are coming here, to take out the Fire Lord and end the war in one strike at the guy who's responsible. But, you know, we found out that you guys already knew about it. Mai and I are here to see what threats we can remove before the big day. Mai's husband was going to handle that part for us, but now… he can't. He asked Mai to do it for him. I came to look out for her."

Ty Lee gazed at him curiously. "So, are two, like together?"

Sokka blinked and had a few false starts before he could get himself talking. "Honestly, I don't really want to get into that, but let's just count Mai as part of that family-cult thing we were talking about. Let's not get side-tracked here."

"Sorry."

* * *

Why was it that the last fighters in a group battle were always the best? Shouldn't random chance sometimes have the veteran hardcore guys trip and fall on a sword? Well, no such luck now. Mai let go of one of her blades- the dragon- and brought the other into a two-hand grip. There were only three opponents left now, but they were giving Mai enough trouble that she decided to abandon the flashier dual style in favor of the more reliable single blade.

Besides, it's not like she was desperately trying to rack up kills anymore. Maybe the Fire Lord would be satisfied soon and call an end to the match. And maybe Piandao would pop out of the floor on a metal leg and kill them all.

Mai ducked under a stab and propelled herself forward with a rising slice. The force of the blow knocked the man back even as it cut through his uniform and chest.

Except Mai was falling with him. Her feet scrambled to get a grip on the floor, but the hardwood was slick with blood, and her boots refused to hug the surface. She crashed to the floor, tangled up with the body of her latest victim, and realized that random chance had turned around to bite _herself_ instead. The last two opponents were quickly standing above her, swords pulled back to stab her where she lay.

Wasn't there an expression about living and dying by the blade? Then again, it didn't seem to work that way for Piandao.

* * *

"So, what's your choice?" Sokka said.

Ty Lee bit her lip. "I don't want to choose."

"Well, if _none_ of what I said had any meaning to you, I'm forced to cheat. I'm asking you, on behalf of Mai- _your friend_- to let me go. Otherwise, you'll be hurting or killing her by turning me in to Azula."

Ty Lee looked like she couldn't believe what she was hearing. She stared at him dumbly, and her cheeks reddened. "Wow, that _is_ cheating."

"Honestly, I don't believe there's any such thing."

"The only problem is that Azula already knows you're trouble of some kind. Why do you thinking I was following you? Azula knew you were here. If I let you go, we're all dead."

* * *

Mai didn't close her eyes before the end. She would watch as the blades came down.

As such, she had a perfect view when blue fireballs exploded on their heads.

Mai held back any reaction as she disentangled herself from the bodies, and stood to face her judges. Azula stood beside her father, smiling darkly. Ozai himself looked quite pleased. "We decided that we believed you," he said with a smirk. "My generals actually determined near the beginning of the fight that you had nowhere near the skill to defeat those warriors, but you did quite well. You were truly a pleasure to watch, my dear. Thus, there was no reason to let you die when we might still have a use for you."

Behind her, Mai heard the sound of bodies in armor, streaming into the throne room. She glanced back to see at least a dozen crimson Royal Firebenders taking up stances behind her.

"Of course, that doesn't mean we trust you. You can wait in the Capital City Prison until we decide how best you can serve my ambitions."

Yeah, knives would have been a big help, here.

* * *

Sokka finally saw Mai again when an army of Firebenders led her out of the palace. He immediately determined that she looked okay, and so let himself feel a flash of annoyance that he only rated three Firebender guards (and a reluctant Ty Lee), while Mai got a couple hundred, and she wasn't even wearing her knives. On the other hand, Sokka didn't feel so good about both of them having their hands and feet bound.

They had separate carts for them. Sokka was able to send a sympathetic look at Mai before they were each thrown and locked in.

The trip didn't take long, but the road over the last portion had felt pretty rough on his still-tingly-but-moving limbs, so he figured there were somewhere just outside the city. He didn't get a chance to see if his guess was right, because when the pulled him out, they were in a rocky sinkhole of some kind with no view of anything but the clear night sky above them. One side was a smooth wall, and the opposite was a carved building that looked depressingly like a prison.

Azula was standing outside the gate, waiting for them. "Ah, here we are. You two will keep while we deal with the coming invasion. Mai has made sure we're safe from Piandao's assassins; Father has already given the order to kill all those in the Capital. Too bad that sacrifice didn't win you anything but a cell with a view." She turned to the guards. "Take them to the top floor, and don't let the other prisoners see their faces. Also, you are under orders from the Princess of the Fire Nation to ignore any injuries they sustain during the trip to their cells. _Any_ injuries, do you understand? This matter is officially a state secret."

As Sokka was being dragged away, he turned to keep Mai and Azula in sight. The princess walked up to Mai, whispered something to her, and then hugged the gloomy girl. Sokka caught a glint of metal in the moonlight before Azula rammed the knife into Mai's back.

"_No!_"

* * *

Mai only vaguely remembered being dragged up to her cell and dropped unceremoniously to the floor. She was too focused on trying to tell the extent of the wound. It hurt _like ash_, and she couldn't quite tell to what degree she was bleeding, or if there was a burning that could indicate an infection. It was odd, after studying the art of stabbing for her entire life, that she was finally on the receiving end. And from Azula, of all people. Firebending prodigies _did_ have more imagination than she had given them credit for.

"Mai?"

Sokka. She wished that he was in the same cell with her. She wanted someone smart to take a look at her back, to see if she was dying. She wanted someone pragmatic to figure out how to get them both out of this prison.

She wanted someone she trusted and liked to hold her, right now.

So this was what a successfully accomplished mission felt like, huh? She should have slit her own throat when she had the chance.

**TO BE CONCLUDED**


	8. Forgotten

**Partners in Blades - 08 - Forgotten**

Piandao the Swordsman stood alone in the light of the dawn, and pondered life.

It was amazing, all the various twists and turns that it could throw at you. Not a single one of Piandao's plans for life ever lasted more than a decade, and they had a habit of ending in an unpleasant manner. That said, it was nothing to get depressed over. With the misfortune came blessings, and many of the joys that Piandao experienced would never have come about without tragedy. Some said that loss was the price of gain, but it could very well be read the other way around. No loss was so great that fortune wasn't far behind.

The world stood on the cusp of change, and while it was resisting mightily, Piandao truly felt that his friends and allies would in the day. Now he just had to decide what kind of person he wanted to be in the world that was dawning.

* * *

Sokka sat up eagerly when he heard the metal door screech open, and it wasn't just because it meant that food was on the way. "Ming!"

The guard smiled wanly at him. "Good morning, Sokka." She put the two trays she was carrying on the floor, and headed straight for Mai's cell. Ming didn't hesitate to unlock the entrance and step inside to examine the prone girl. "Hm, the wound is definitely infected. I can change the bandage, but she's going to need some medicine."

Sokka leaned against the bars of his own cell, trying to teleport himself over with the sheer power of his mind. "I don't suppose you can do anything like that?"

Ming gave him a sad look. "I wish I could. Prisoners here frequently get infections, so the supply of herbs and medicines is restocked regularly, but they make us note how much we're taking and who we're giving it to. You guys are high security, so you'll be the first they check if when I don't have an excuse. Don't worry, I'm asking every day if I can be allowed to treat her."

Sokka let himself slump down again. "Yeah, good luck with that. No, seriously, good luck with that."

"Sorry." Ming gave caressed Mai's hair gently, then pulled herself up and retrieved the trays. One went over to Sokka, while Ming to the other right into Mai's cell and began trying to feed her the soft rice.

"Any luck getting her to eat?"

"A little," Ming said. "At least she's taking the water."

Sokka let himself smile at the guard. (The Fire Nation guard who was keeping him under lock and key. He wondered if there was a name for when you were in such a bad place in life, you actually found yourself smiling at the kindness of your captors.) "You remind me of my sister, a little. She had to take care of a good friend of ours like that. She was patient with it, just like you."

Ming gave him a sad smile in return as she stood up and made to leave. "I took care of my grandfather this way, before he joined our ancestors. I don't like seeing honorable people suffer, and I heard what this girl did to save the Fire Lord's life from the assassination plot. All of the traitor swordsmen have been put to death. Besides, criminal or not, no one deserves to lie sick in one of these filthy cells."

"Yeah," Sokka sighed, finishing up his own lunch. "But that just isn't how the world works. Thanks for the jerky, though. I really appreciate it."

* * *

There were two constants in the haze of Mai's fever. One was the pain in her back. In her more lucid moments, she remembered how she got it, how Azula had stabbed her with a knife she recognized. It was a small thing, more of a utility knife than a weapon in design, meant for a soldier's casual use, but it was well crafted and beautiful to look at. The handle was pearl, and the blade was etched with Earth Kingdom characters. Mai had only ever seen the knife in the hands of one person- the young Prince Zuko. How Azula got it was a mystery Mai wasn't sure she wanted solved.

Azula had hugged her, and whispered into her ear as she drove the stolen blade into Mai's back. "If I can't find dear Zuzu, I'll make him come to me. Do you think he'll worry for you, or were you just a tool in a plot that my Uncle is controlling?"

The worst part was that there _wasn't even_a plot with Zuko. Every other one of the Fire Lord's enemies, up to and including the Avatar, sure, but not Zuko or Iroh. Mai might just stab the prince, if she survived and ever saw him again, just for inconveniencing her like this.

Sometimes, cool hands held Mai and gave her water, but they came and went with no pattern that she could discern. A soft voice always accompanied them, though, and Mai disliked it because it reminded her somehow of her parents.

Speaking of voices, the second constant in her suffering was Sokka's talking. She could rarely make out the words, and he wasn't going all the time, but he spoke to her often enough so that she never forgot that she was still alive. Sometimes, it felt like his voice had been her _only _constant since she left Piandao behind and tried to save the world. Call her crazy, but she decided that she really liked his voice.

In fact, he was talking right now. Mai concentrated, fighting off the pain, and tried to make out his words. His tone sounded more excited than it had since they had been locked up. Maybe it was important.

The first thing she figured out was, "_That's Appa!_"

The fuzzball?

* * *

Sokka was hopping up and down in his cell, holding the bars and trying very hard not to whoop with excitement. Ming had been gone an hour, and this part of the morning was usually the most boring part of the day, but just now, Sokka was _sure_ he heard the groan of a ten-ton sky bison! He was _not_crazy, because if was hearing things, the statistical likelihood was that it would be Yue's voice, not the fluffy giant snot-monster that was probably bringing help right now!

Then the whole prison shook, and Sokka's grin widened to painful proportions. Shaking buildings with no accompanying explosions meant _Earthbenders_.

He knew one or two of those.

Ten minutes later, Toph rammed the door to the chamber right off its hinges. "They're in here!"

Katara and Aang ran in right behind the diminutive Earthbender, their faces in Do Not Get In Our Way mode. Both lit up with matching smiles when they saw Sokka, but he had responsibilities before he could enjoy the reunion. "Help Mai! Azula stabbed her in the back! You know, literally."

"On it," Katara said. "Toph, we're done with these bars."

The Earthbender-slash-Metalbender made the bars of Mai's cell go away. Katara was by Mai's side in an instant, hands glowing with magic healing water.

He hoped Katara was good enough to save her.

* * *

Ooh, that felt _nice_. Whatever had been making so much noise a second ago, it must be a good things. For the first time in years (or days or weeks or whatever), Mai wasn't wracked by burning hurt, and moving didn't bring on additional muscle pains. A melodious voice was talking, and Mai was able to easily concentrate on the words.

"It was a very clean cut," Katara was saying, "so that was easy enough. The infection is trickier, but that was one of the first things they taught me in the North Pole, before Pakku agreed to teach me. They get a lot of poison wounds from the fishing up there, and of course rusty blades are a hazard."

"That deserves another hug!" Sokka replied, rather loudly.

Mai thought about faking being hurt for a little longer. Even now, she was not feeling up for hugs. On the other hand, maybe Katara brought food; Mai was suddenly very hungry. She opened her eyes and sat up.

Aang the Avatar, little Toph, Katara and Sokka were all crouched around her. Mai looked around at all of them, trying to process their presence. "I always hated last minute rescues in the stories I read," she said. "Something about it never failed to feel to feel cheap. Results should be a logical extension of the character's actions."

Toph cracked her knuckles. "Are you seriously finding something to complain about with this?"

"No. As a matter of fact, I just changed my mind completely about sudden rescues. But I thought it important to establish what a big deal that is."

* * *

Sokka could scarcely believe it. He had specifically told his friends to only rescue him if circumstances permitted, and to be as smart as possible about it. He wasn't, however, actually _expecting_ them to do that. "So, the Invasion is happening _now_?"

"The first phase," Aang said. "Once everyone is ready to move out again, you'll all join the main force at the harbor, and I'll swing around and head directly for the palace." The group reached the last of the stairs, and ambled out onto the first floor. The foyer chamber was empty, although the upper floors were still occupied. Earthbender troops were in the process of freeing any prisoners who agreed to fight with them in the Invasion, and Toph was doing lie-detector duty to verify things.

Sokka smacked his forehead. "I completely lost track of time in there. Man, and I'm supposed to be _good_ at planning."

Mai gave him a look that managed to be playful without actually incorporating a smile. "Maybe you were distracted by something. You should learn how to stay focused."

Sokka immediately smiled at that. It was such a relief to see her standing and snarking at him. He turned to Katara and asked, "So how did you know we were here? And who planned all this? Dad?"

She lost her own look of good cheer, for a moment. "There's still some questions about that. Um… one of our allies- we'll introduce you in a second- heard from a friend of his that you had been arrested. He has some spies in the Capital, apparently. He knew you'd be kept here, so we made it our first stop. _Another_ of allies decided that it would be worth it to free the prisoners here, too, and _another _ally plus the first two helped us exactly map out the way we'd brake in and subdue the guards as fast as possible. We knew which floor to find you on because of something else, but we haven't figured that part out yet, completely. We'll show you in a second."

Sokka scratched his hair. Now that he was out of that cell, he felt a strong desire for a bath. "Do any of these specific allies have names?"

"Y- es. But I just want you prepared when you see them. Here they are." Katara motioned with one hand as the group stepped out of the prison and into the sunlight.

Zuko.

Suki.

The Old Guy Who Followed Zuko Around.

Whajamajah?

* * *

Mai didn't so much as blink. Katara probably _wanted_ a reaction. "Two of you I know, one I don't. Hello, Zuko. Azula stabbed me with your knife."

He frowned. Mai decided that the scar didn't look bad, per se, but only because his face had aged around it. "Sorry? Are you okay?"

She waved off the apology. "I had a magic Waterbender fix it up. No big deal. By the way, Ty Lee says hello."

The horrendously colorful girl standing with Zuko and his uncle frowned rather dramatically at that. The full facepaint made it look fierce, if ugly. "_Who_ is that?" she asked with a _tone _in her voice.

"Um, the acrobat? You know, she helped me that time?"

The facepaint girl crossed her arms over her chest armor. "Oh. _Her._"

Next to Mai, Sokka was blinking. "Wait wait wait. Suki! Are you- are you two _dating_?"

The facepaint girl, Suki, actually smiled rather sweetly at Sokka. "Jealous? It's a long story, if you want to hear it. But no, we're not officially dating."

Zuko's face turned bright red, or at least the unburned parts did.

"Yeah, aren't they all," Sokka said. He took a step closer to Mai, and draped an arm over her shoulders. "I got a story of my own. It's pretty neat. Mai here got stabbed near the end, and Ty Lee is a character in mine, too."

If Mai had a knife, she would have poked him. She settled for picking his arm up by the wrist and lifting it off of her. "Don't get ahead of yourself, Water Tribe."

"Speaking of that," Aang the Avatar broke in. "Sokka, do you recognize this?" He held out a flag of some kind. It was a white square of fabric, and sewn onto it was one of the circular symbols associated with the Water Tribes. Tied to one corner was smaller cloth, deep red in color, and heavily stained.

Mai felt her jaw drop, ever so slightly. "That's my Sitting Cloth!" Everyone stared at her. "You know, so that the ground doesn't get me dirty? I left it at home- my home here- when I went to see the Fire Lord."

Aang blinked. "The flag it's tied to was hooked on a stone just below your cell's window. We saw it as we flew in and figured it must be the floor where they were keeping you."

Where could that have come from? Then, with a jolt, Mai realized the answer. It was good to know that some friendships didn't end in stabbings. "I know a girl who can climb walls very well and knows my habits. From the sound of it, Zuko's familiar with her, too."

Sokka had his Signature Grin on his face. "He's not the only one. She and I had a little chat. I guess it did more good than I thought."

Iroh spoke for the first time with a very satisfied expression on his face. "Our connections with people are often the source of our greatest strength. As we move into the Capital, we should keep in mind the sacrifices some of the people of the Fire Nation have made, to bring their country back to its rightful path."

"Speaking of which," Aang said, "we should get going." He nodded to where Earthbender soldiers were leading a rather fierce-looking group of former prisoners out into the light. "Looks like we're done here. Take good care of Appa for me!"

"Aang, wait!" Katara edged close to the Airbender, and dragged him away. "We need a minute first. The rest of you can get on Appa."

Zuko, Iroh, Suki, and Toph all headed to sky bison. Sokka made to go, too, but Mai stepped forward to block him. "I want to fight with you. In the Invasion."

"Are- are you _sure?_An hour ago I thought you were dying!"

"I owe the Fire Lord two times over, now. Just get me a pair of swords and let me help. But trust me, I'll be safe. I'm not in a hurry to get myself killed. Again."

Sokka met her stare, their eyes searching each other. Eventually, he sighed. "Well, it's your choice. Also, thank you. You've done so much. And I'm sure Katara will want to give you a medal for putting up with me all this time."

"I haven't done anything you haven't done. And it was all enlightened self-interest for me, anyway."

"_Getting yourself stabbed to near death?_"

Mai felt her mouth quirk. It wasn't a smile, really. "Hey, apparently I'm not very good at it."

"And this is supposed to make me feel better?" He shook his head, and turned to get on Appa.

Mai leaned forward and dropped a quick kiss on his lips. Sokka stopped cold, eyes wide, and just stared.

Mai let her gaze fall. "In case we die."

The sun above was blocked as Sokka's face eased against her own. The kiss he gave her lasted longer, but wasn't quite as graceful. In other words, it was perfect. When they came apart again, Sokka wasn't wearing the grin that had been visiting his face regularly since their rescue. He was just smiling, warmly, in a way that made Mai hope this whole Invasion thing worked out. "In case we live," he said.

Together, they got on Appa, and with their allies, went off to save the world.

* * *

**~Epilogue~**

Piandao found Jeong-Jeong meditating in his tent. The thick material didn't let any sunlight through. "You're a very hard man to find."

Jeong-Jeong didn't open his eyes. "By design," he barked. "Do not make me waste my breath lecturing you on the dangers of a deserter's life."

Piandao nodded. He limped further into the tent, still a little awkward on his wooden leg, but elected to remain standing. "Do you know why I've come?"

"You know it was me who contracted the assassin. You know it was me who arranged to have you killed."

"Yes."

"You want to know why."

"When a man hires someone to kill you, it's easy to take it personally."

"I have my own sources. I hear about troop movements, especially those of elite troops. I discovered the Fire Lord's need for your students." Jeong-Jeong finally opened his eyes, abandoning his meditation. "I decided that you were a resource that finally had to be dealt with."

Piandao nodded, a little disappointed. This had been what he was expecting, but he still had hoped for something so much less senseless. "I sabotaged their training, you know."

"Plans are nothing without actions. I sympathize with your choices, but I felt- I feel- I had to be pragmatic."

"So you understand the position I'm in. Everyone thinks I'm dead, everything I owned and built is gone, and my true students were last heard of taking part in the Black Sun Invasion. I don't suppose you have news of the outcome?"

Jeong-Jeong said nothing.

"I take it you got the Grand Lotus summons? I'm on my way there now."

Jeong-Jeong glared suspiciously. "You wish to travel together? After what I did to you?"

"No." Piandao drew his sword. "I've come to tell you that the White Lotus no longer respects your thoughts."

"I see." Jeong-Jeong rose to his knees, and hung his head out. "Then be quick about it. I can accept the consequences of my actions. You will be a far better warrior for our cause than I proved."

"Not anymore." Piandao tapped his sword against his hollow leg. "But I'm working on it. I do intend to train back up to my old effectiveness, adjusted for age. You, on the other hand, have other concerns." He raised the sword into the air above the Firebender's head.

The air whistled against the cutting edge as it fell.

Jeong-Jeong rocked back, his hand rising to his right eye. "What!"

Piandao turned around to leave. "I was precise, the eye will be fine. You will, however, have a new scar to look at whenever you examine your reflection. I suggest you do a lot of that, if you ever want to be invited into the White Lotus again. In the meantime, continue your work, but think about the type of world you'll make if you let pragmatism rule above all else."

He hobbled out of the tent, and into the bright morning sky. He had to get moving, if he was going to get to Ba Sing Se on time. He was slower now, and he had so much he wanted to do. So many people he wanted to see.

With nothing but the clothes on his back, the sword in his hand, and a Letter of Divorce in his pocket, Piandao set out into the world, free and with a clear conscious.

**END**


	9. Endnotes

_The following is the background story and planning notes I developed for the "Partners in Blades" AU story. Some people have expressed interest in the Book 2 AU I wound up developing just for the sake of a Piandao/Mai/Sokka quasi-love-triangle, so here it is. It might also be of interest to people who want to know about my writing methods. Basically, I wrote "Dowry" and "Control" first (see my Author Profile page), and then based on what I put in those two, extrapolated what Book 2 must have been like. To do that, I basically began typing what you see below. I do it stream-of-conscious style, because if I sit and try to think this stuff through, my brain freezes up. Better to just keep typing, as it forces me to plow through problems and writer's block._

_Of course, I changed some of this stuff as I wrote the actual "Partners in Blades" chapters. I've added notes where this happened, and why I made the change._

* * *

**Partners in Blades  
~Background~**

Mai was not part of the Dangerous Ladies season 2 teamup in this timeline, instead being married off to Piandao as a guarantee of his loyalty to the Fire Lord. Azula and Ty Lee teamed up, but never went to Omashu. As such, the Governor attempted to trade Bumi for Tom-Tom, but things were interrupted by another assassination attempt on the Governor by Omashu Guy Who Was Angry That Bumi Surrendered. Mai's father survived, but his wife died; or maybe he died, not sure which yet. End result is that the trade went bust, Aang tried to free Bumi, got the Wait'n'Listen speech, then returned Tom-Tom to the surviving parent. (_Post Note: Obviously, this didn't make it through to the final story. Basically, I didn't want Mai all emo over losing one or both of her parents. It was too complicated a subject to tackle along with everything else I wanted to do. I didn't make finalize this decision, however, until it came time to credit Sokka with saving Mai's father. That came to me as I was writing the chapter, and worked much better as a subtle step towards bringing them together than commiserating over dead parents would have. That's Katara's thing, anyway._)

Azula stayed on track hunting Zuko, following him up until the basic events of "The Chase" when she had the big fight with Zuko and the gAang. She was still focused on Zuko, though, and so kept following him instead of Aang. Perhaps Ty Lee and Zuko interacted a little more and started a thing? Cool. The gAang gets to Ba Sing Se, fights the Drill but not Azula (the Terra Team ineffectively throws rocks at the outside armor all day), and has their big city adventure. Azula's pursuit of Zuko takes her to Ba Sing Se, where she is stymied. She finds out about the Drill incident, and that the Avatar is in the city. Does she switch to hunting the Avatar? That will work.

(_Post Note: None of this paragraph was kept. The next paragraph will explain why._) Azula would encounter the Kyoshi Warriors, but could she and Ty Lee beat them without Mai? Again, probably; it looked like Azula was holding back in the cartoon while Mai and Ty Lee took out everyone but Suki. So do things play out exactly the same here? Azula and Ty Lee infiltrate as Kyoshis, ally with Long Feng, yadda yadda? The only difference I can see Mai's absence playing is that Sokka and Toph double-team Ty Lee and rescue the Earth King, and don't get captured. So maybe they arrive at the last second to save Aang and Katara? But they'll still have lost Ba Sing Se, still be run off by the gajillions of Dai Li, same ending as the cartoon but Aang doesn't die and can access the Avatar State. Oh, and maybe Iroh escapes with them. Nah, I don't like this line of thought at all. I need to step back a branch.

This? This is the problem with plotting an AU around the absence of a character who purposefully built a career around being a quiet member of Team Rocket. (_Post Note: And in one review, I was told it was amazing how much Mai's absence changed. What's amazing is that I was able to force so many changes into things, through sheer willpower._)

Okay, so Azula doesn't beat the Kyoshi Warriors or doesn't encounter them. Which one makes it easier to break up Sukka at this point? Too bad Suki can't turn evil and join with Azula. But that's as crass as killing her. And stupid. Ooh! Zuko and Iroh arrive late to Full Moon Bay because of Azula's pursuit. They miss Jet, but encounter Suki. She arrests them or something, and they have an adventure, and maybe Zuko and Suki start a thing. Bonus: Ty Lee versus Suki for Zuko's heart! In a jello pool! Or whatever guys like to imagine for these kinds of cat-fights; I don't know, because if I wrote it, I'd spend three hours online looking up detailed descriptions of different kinds of fists and other martial art info on punching people. (_Post Note: This is not a joke. I have done it before. I like writing martial arts._) Sokka never sees Suki again, or at least not until the Black Sun Invasion. So Azula doesn't encounter Suki and doesn't get into Ba Sing Se? And Zuko is a good guy who joins the gAang on the day of Black Sun? Interesting!

But we still need to get the gAang to infiltrate the Fire Nation so that they can find Piandao. Sorry guys, Ba Sing Se has to fall.

Azula and Ty Lee infiltrate Ba Sing Se as refugees, maybe stealing Hope's parents' passports. Bonus: Azula stuffs her shirt and pretends to be pregnant! No, too silly. In the lower ring, they encounter Jet! What? It was a crazy coincidence when it happened to Zuko, too. Objection overruled. Azula observes the power of the Dai Li, and manipulates Jet into helping her exploit them. They stage something, get a Dai Li to intervene, then capture him and 'interrogate' him, leading to Lake Laogai. There, Azula plots with Long Feng, and casually betrays Jet to the Dai Li. Smellerbee and Longshot had already ditched the group, because they didn't want to mess with the Dai Li and quickly came to resent how Azula was playing Jet. Jet's worth is in knowing the Avatar, which Azula discovered, and Long Feng decides to use him as bait in a setup pretty similar to what we saw in "Lake Laogai."

Everything continues cartoon-style until the end of "The Earth King" where Long Feng escapes via a pre-planned contingency courtesy of Azula, instead of being arrested. He takes and/or destroys his library of helpful intelligence, so Aang never meets the Guru and Sokka doesn't go to his father. (_Post Note: I'm not sure if this still stands now that Partners in Blades is complete. I had the gAang explicitly working with Hakoda to make the Invasion happen just like in the cartoon, and it's unlikely they met up after the fall of Ba Sing Se if they didn't have any idea where Hakoda was. Perhaps Aang never met the Guru, thanks to Long Feng's actions, but the Ba Sing Se military was still aware of Hakoda's fleet guarding their bay, and so Sokka and Katara just got the info later and in a different manner?_)

Azula and Long Feng make Ba Sing Se fall, and neither betrays the other, having a more-or-less stable working partnership at this point. Since they had more time to plot, and didn't yet know about the Eclipse deadline, they use a longer-term plan that had Azula sneaking Fire Nation forces into the city to assist with the coup. Hence why the gAang is still overwhelmed even though Zuko is off making kissy face with Suki. Long Feng becomes the Fire Nation-backed administrator of Ba Sing Se. (_Post Note: This changed to Long Feng serving a Fire Nation governor. I decided to make Long Feng a subtle suspect for Combustion Man's employer, and so had him disappear with word reaching Ozai from the nameless governor. Why did Long Feng disappear, then? Obviously, his and Azula's partnership still isn't perfect, and Long Feng realizes that he's not getting the power he wants._) Details are unimportant, but the gAang flees, and the Earth King remains captured. I'm going to play it vague about whether Aang gets struck by lightning. On the one hand, I have no reason not to do so, other than general contrariness about avoiding the Stations of the Canon. But I've been twisting around canon so much, maybe I'm fighting a losing battle here. (_Post Note: I got all the way to the last chapter of "Partners in Blades" before I settled on this. Sokka notes that Ming feeding a comatose Mai reminds him of Katara taking care of a good friend of theirs, which is supposed to be Aang after he's hit by the lightning. I only added this because I liked the comparison, it seemed to bring a little emotion out of Sokka without getting shmaltzy._)

And so the gAang infiltrates the Fire Nation, and Sokka finds Piandao and trains with the swords and meets Mai and they totally fall in love.

By the Great Dome of Iacon! I haven't even begun writing this and already I need a break! Nah, just kidding. Let's light this candle.

Addendum: Need to figure out why Combustion Man and/or other bounty hunters are trailing the gAang in the Fire Nation. Zuko is off being turned good by the magic of Suki's glistening eyes, so he never betrayed Katara and came home and realized Aang wasn't dead and sent an assassin to fix the problem. The only other options are Azula, Ty Lee, and Long Feng. Ty Lee would be a silly choice. I only typed that because I really want it to be her and need to remind myself why I shouldn't. Azula would just do the hunting herself, but Long Feng is a possibility. Perhaps he's responsible for cleaning up the Ba Sing Se loose ends. But he's over in the Earth Kingdom. Why would he be brought over to deal with what is essentially Azula's responsibility? Wait, Azula has a problem, too. She was supposed to bring Zuko home, not conquer Ba Sing Se. What the heck, Azzy? Daddy is not pleased.

Ooh, maybe Azula sends Combustion Man to deal with the problem. But then why is he following Aang and not Zuko? I'm going to have fully detail the "Crossroads of Destiny" AU material, aren't I? Dang.

Okay, so Azula and Long Feng are below Ba Sing Se, secretly in control of the Dai Li while the gAang is helping to plan the invasion. Long Feng is a fugitive, and the gAang knows about Azula because Longshot, Smellerbee, and Jet told them about her. Smellerbee did a good impersonation of Azula's distinct voice, and Toph placed it as the chick who nearly killed Iroh. Dang, that'd be a fun scene to write. That's when Suki, the other Kyoshi Warriors, and Zuko arrive. Or would that kill a good scene meant to go at the end of the Maikka Plot? (_Post Note: Yes. Yes, it would have._)

You know what? Never mind. I need to base this part on what I need in my actual Maikka Plot. Flesh that out first, then go back and do the background justifications, then go forward again and proper integrate the two. (_Post Note: Yes, I started writing the actual story without knowing who was taking a hit out on Piandao. I actually finished the first chapter before I got the idea that it was Jeong-Jeong. Our favorite ranting Firebender appeared in "Control" to warn Piandao that Ozai was going to try to bring him to heel, so that established his prescience in this AU and gave him a link to Piandao. Plus, I like the idea of Jeong-Jeong being a bit unbalanced, so blinded by his fear of Fire that he's not making entirely good decisions, even if his heart is in the right place. My only reservation was that readers might find this cheap, making the perpetrator into a character who didn't appear in the story proper and only had a throwaway part in one of the prequels. I hope the final scene sold the idea._)

~Maikka Week 2011~

Day 1: Healing  
Sokka arrives at Piandao's place. Piandao is training Fire Nation swordsmen, but starts Sokka off on the basics, and lets Mai train him a bit. They snark but learn from each other, and Sokka has to deal with actually being attracted to a girl after Yue's death, and also that she's kind of already married, even though the "relationship" is obviously not entirely real. (_Post Note: Yeah, I didn't get into the real attraction in the final version. Trying to make it more overt made it seem like they were getting distracted by each other's bodies, not actually making a connection._)

Day 2: Your Fault  
The third day of Sokka's training comes, and he gets his little graduation ceremony and sword from Piandao. Sokka comes clean about being Water Tribe. Maybe he and Piandao have their fight? Even if not, Piandao is inspired to give up his charade and stop training Fire Nation soldiers. He even offers to divorce Mai, which she accepts. He writes a letter of divorce to the Fire Lord, and gives it to Mai to mail or deliver herself. (___Post Note: Letters of Divorce are actually how it was done once upon a time in Japanese history. Women actually had a good deal, then, for the times. They were just as forced into marriage as the men, but they were allowed to have lovers, run away to a divorce shelter, and re-enter the singles scene without an issue. Of course, I didn't have this happen in the story itself. Once the ability for Mai and Piandao to get divorced was established, it seemed more important to focus on the plot, which was revealing itself as more jam-packed than I had realized before I began writing.) _Does Mai go with him? Or does she join the gAang? Or does she go back to the capital? Maybe have her wonder these things. However, when Piandao hears the gAang's full plans for the Invasion, he reveals that the Fire Lord is well aware and completely prepared!

Day 3: Losers  
Now that Piandao has revealed that the Fire Lord knows of the Invasion plans, the gAang has to decide what to do. They can't just call it off, because it's their best shot and Hakoda is already gathering allies somewhere in the world. Sokka needs to know what the Fire Nation's countermeasures will be, and to do that he needs to infiltrate the capital! But only Mai can lead him there. So they head off, undercover as Mai and her servant boy, and stopover at Ember Island. Beach comedy ensues, including a meeting with Ty Lee and another with Ruon Jian. Things end when Mai makes contact with Azula and is invited to the capital. (_Post Note: Obviously, this plan changed, with this plot getting broken into two chapters. My decision to bring in Azula a little earlier was probably the cause, but it was more logical that way. Note that I haven't pegged Sokka as WANG FIRE in the planning. When I was trying to figure out how Sokka could disguise himself from Azula, it occurred to me that the WANG FIRE beard always succeeded thanks to the power of comedy. So Azula fell for a completely stupid disguise, solely because it's funny._)

Day 4: At the Capital  
Azula is in Daddy's bad graces for completely losing Zuko. She may have defeated the Avatar and conquered Ba Sing Se, but rebellions are still going on and Zuko and Iroh remain dangers. Oooh, Iroh is leading the Earth Kingdom resistance? She plans to use Mai to bring Piandao to heel. (_Post Note: I have no idea what Iroh wound up doing in the final story. Trying to get Zuko and Suki to hook up? Note that the plot for "Losers" above doesn't mention Piandao being injured by Combustion Man. CM was a later addition to the story as a tool to have Sokka and Mai go off alone together, and at first I considered having them separate from the gAang during the battle. Once I started writing, I decided to use him to injure Piandao, and used the flawed Swordsmen he trained as the specific reason those two needed to be the ones to follow up on the threat. That's right, when I created the original concept of the sabotaged training, I had no idea I would end up making it as important as I did. This, I think, is one of my talents- I can bring all kinds of odd elements, whether I invented them or not, and build successfully on them. It adds logic to a plotline that probably comes across as pretty random._)

Day 5: Tangling with Azula  
Azula discovers that the Avatar is alive and planning an invasion. Fighting is had, and Sokka and Mai save each other's lives or something. (_Post Note: At this point, I wasn't even referencing my original plans. I was making it all up as I went, letting the "soul" of the story guide me._)

Day 6: Escape (_Post Note: Or not._)

Day 7: ?  
Day of Black Sun invasion prelude. Sokka and Mai reunite with the gAang and admit to being a couple. Hakoda arrives with all the allies, including Zuko and Suki, who are also a couple. Humorous conversation is had by all, and then everyone prepares to go off and win the war. Feelings of hope and new beginnings abound. Maybe hint that this invasion will be more success than the one in the cartoon. (_Post Note: Also, heal Mai, rescue her and Sokka, explain what happened with Ty Lee after Sokka talked to her, make up for Sokka and Mai not being a couple until now, cameo Iroh for whatever reason, and resolve that Murder Mystery I kept throwing in reader's faces. By Primus, I'm surprised I didn't have to split this chapter, too.)_

Sokka- not having gotten romantic healing from Suki, Sokka's emotions are a little fragile. He lost Yue, then Ba Sing Se, and in the course of this plot, Aang/Katara/Toph. (_Post Note: This was supposed to guide me on the tone with which to write Sokka. I don't know why I even bothered, especially since I wound up having him voluntarily split with the gAang for this adventure._)

Mai- she got a letter a few months ago that her father was assassinated. She's trying to pretend to herself that she doesn't care. (_Post Note: See above not about completely wasting my time._)

* * *

**"'Where do you get your ideas?' has always been the question I'm most often confronted with. ('Why do you get your ideas?' is a close second.)" ~Gary Larson**


	10. Bats

**The Kaped Krusaders**

It was the dead of night in Ba Sing Se. Those who lived in the light had all shut their homes and doors against the darkness, while the city's nocturnal predators had emerged from their caves to prowl and feed. The air was cold, and the streets were silent. If certain horrible sounds sometimes broke the tranquility, they were ignored. Everyone in this city knew that the only way to survive and stay sane was to flee from evil wherever it manifested, be it the rankest alleys of the Lower Ring or the gilded palaces of the Upper Ring. No man in all the city would stand against this corruption.

No man, but for one.

Usually.

Clad in his dark and terrifying costume, cape billowing behind him in the wind, Wolfbatman stood on one of the rooftops of the Lower Ring and spoke into the night. "I'm gonna _sue_!"

The recipient of his declaration didn't react. She didn't need a mask to keep from showing any emotion. "You can't. I'm not a Wolfbat. Just a generic bat."

Wolfbatman pounded a gloved fist into his waiting palm. "That's _totally_ the same and you _know _it! Your costume is even just like mine, all black with a cape and ears, except nowhere near as cool. Couldn't you have put a little effort into the ears, at least? Mine are shaped like the real things, but yours are just little points. I wouldn't even know you're bat if it weren't for the insignia on your chest. Oh, and that? Another thing you stole from me."

"Hey, lay off." The girl pointed a finger of dreaded warning at the legendary Wolfbatman. "I didn't even know about you when I put this together. You hardly invented the idea of a costumed crimefighter, and I picked a bat because I like them. They're dark and mysterious and people are terrified of them."

"So, what, if you liked Fruit Tarts, too, you would have dressed up as one of them?" Wolfbatman never laughed, but his gravely voiced might have carried a hint of amusement.

The girl's eyes narrowed. "The idea is to blend in with the dark and intimidate my enemies, _genius_. I'm not a 'furry' like you, dressing up as one of my fetishes."

"That costume is a little too skin-tight for me to believe that, _little girl_." If Wolfbatman's eyes took a moment to trace the curves defined by stretched black leather, the dark of the night hid this. "Besides, you're not going to be blending in with anything, wearing a bright yellow belt."

"I can cover it with my cape."

"What, did you steal it from your mother's closet?"

The girl's face finally moved. Her mouth twisted into a frown. "Say that again, and I _will _stab you." Her fingers began inching towards said yellow belt, which had more knives, arrows, and blades crammed into it than the Dai Li's evidence locker after a busy night.

"Just stay out of my way," Wolfbatman growled in a tone reminiscent of his namesake. "You'll learn that this isn't a game for bored little girls, soon enough."

The girl, the self-proclaimed BatMai, held up a gloved hand and made an insulting gesture. "At least _I'm_ not wearing _Water Tribe hockey pads_." With that parting shot, she dashed into the night, her short cape expanding in the air like the wings that all Bat-hybrids shared as she leaped from rooftop to rooftop.

If Wolfbatman's eyes lingered on BatMai's leather-clad form as she ran, there was no one to witness. Then he faded into the darkness, to hunt less intriguing prey...

...for now.

* * *

A week later, BatMai was _still_ mad at being called a "little girl" by the weirdo in the Wolfbat costume. With the dangerous enthusiasm that only anger can provide, Mai had thrown herself into her new crimefighting career. Beating up the typical scum that terrorized the Lower Ring had been fun, but got old quickly. It just wasn't a challenge. So she moved up to the Middle Ring. Where the _freaks _committed crimes.

_That_ had proven to be a bit too ambitious. It turned out that crazy people who dressed in garish costumes really were crazy. The jewel thief with the super-tight bodysuit and war-fans shaped like cat's claws wasn't so bad; she wasn't much of a fighter compared to BatMai, even if she was better at sneaking and infiltrating. Some of the other criminals, though, were scary. The Waterbender with the ice-obsession had managed to get away, being completely unsporting about things by freezing Mai's dartlaunchers at the beginning of the fight. The Earthbender who was completely covered in clay had utterly _curbstomped_ Mai in their fight, somehow sensing BatMai even in pitch darkness. The crazy old guy in the green suit hadn't even tried to fight at all, which was disappointing, and Mai hadn't understood any of this riddles, which turned out to be a major problem when the solution to said riddles would have revealed the location of all the stolen gold.

_Never mind_ the _huge_ silent guy in the black and white mask who could _blow things up with his mind_.

After that one, BatMai was seriously considering retirement.

Tonight's stupidity might just seal the deal.

"Okay," BatMai groaned. "Let me see if I can get this straight. Your son wasn't _really_ kidnapped, it was all just a ploy to test my abilities, so that you could determine if I was worthy of being your successor and marrying your son."

The tall, stately form of O'Z'Ai nodded from within the shadows of his secret temple. "My empire-"

"_Wait,_" Mai interrupted. "I'm not done. So, you want me to take over for you in destroying Ba Sing Se so that Firebenders can rebuild it into a place of their own. Because Earth people are bad, or something. And your son can't do this, because- from what you've been implying- he's an idiot. And this is supposed to appeal to me... how?"

O'Z'Ai's voice was ever haughty, which was a pretty good trick, for someone who couldn't even pronounce his own name consistently. (But who was Mai to talk about that?) "Isn't that why you dress up in that ridiculous costume? To battle the corruption that has brought this city low? _Upper_ Ring? Bah! All levels of this society has been corrupted. Only _Firebenders_ have the strength to raise this city from the ashes, and ashes are-"

BatMai interrupted him again. "I hate to break into a good rant, but we need to get something clear. I'm just doing this because I'm bored, living in this city. And because Mother and Father will have pygmy-pumas when they find out. And because it's kind of fun to wear tight leather. (I mean, I'm not built to make boys stare, usually, but in this getup? They can't keep their eyes off me.) But that's it, really. I couldn't care less about your corruption and your Firebenders."

O'Z'Ai needed time before he could summon a reply. "...perhaps it would be better if we parted, then, but remember-"

"Wait," BatMai interrupted for the last time. "Is your son _more_ or _less_ cute than Wolfbatman?"

O'Z'Ai turned and walked out without saying another word.

Mai bet that Wolfbatman didn't have to put up with stuff like this.

* * *

Wolfbatman _hated_ it when CrAzula came to town. First of all, she wasn't just interested in committing crimes and stealing stuff and killing people. She always had an _agenda_, and it was always much more complicated than a plan made by a crazy person had any right to be. CrAzula only caused trouble when she had some kind of a point to make, like that everyone was just one missing parent away from going crazy, or that every citizen of Ba Sing Se was in their heart of hearts as corrupt as the worst of the city's criminals, or even that fish were pretty tasty. (Wolfbatman agreed with that last one, but you just didn't get the best variety this far from the Water tribes.)

This time, CrAzula was intent on making some kind of point about the Walls of Ba Sing Se based on some obscure pun in one of old scholarly languages that Wolfbatman didn't get at all. Regardless, events had kept him running across the whole city, trying to prevent crimes at various points on the Inner Walls that divided the three rings, culminating in this final confrontation atop the Outer Wall.

Too bad things weren't going very well.

Wolfbatman threw his boomerang-grapple, but TymbLee dodged it easily with a cartwheel. CrAzula came up from behind him, cackling like hyena-elk as she made another vigorous attempt to find out if his costume was fire-proof. It _was_, but it also had a tendency to melt and scald him when crazy Firebenders in unprofessional make-up jobs applied blue flames directly to the material. He was so caught up in not receiving a flaming fist to his uncovered chin (why didn't he wear a full face-mask again?) that he didn't notice TymbLee until she came out of a rolling jump on top of his head and then bashed him with her chi-blocking punches on rest of the way down to the brick floor. "I got him for ya, Lady 'zula!"

"MWA HA HA!" CrAzula stepped over to her partner and put a friendly arm around her shoulders. "I knew I could count on you, my little pink dumpling. Here, a gift to show my appreciation." She produced a flower from her sleeve as if by magic, and held it up to TymbLee's face.

"Ooh, it's so pretty, boss!" She leaned forward to sniff at it, but- very predictably, in Wolfbatman's opinion; CrAzula didn't know anything about original humor- it shot a stream of water right into the acrobat's face. "Aw, Lady 'zula!"

CrAzula cackled again, and shoved TymbLee away. "Wolfbatman, it seems you've fallen and you can't get up. But it's such a shame that you fell such a short distance. We have a whole honest-to-Koh wonder-of-the-world _wall_ right here! Why don't we make your fall something a little more spectacular, hm? Summer's almost over, after all! BWA HA HA HA HA!"

Woflbatman rolled his eyes as CrAzula started dragging him to the edge of the Outer Wall. He wasn't going to enjoy falling to his death from a great height, but at least he wouldn't have to listen to any more of this third-rate clown's bad puns. Puns were an art form, something that had to be clever to be funny, going in directions that people would never normally expect, making connections between-

"Are you people having a big climactic showdown without me?"

Wolfbatman groaned. He knew that voice. It was the gloomy rip-off girl.

BatMai was posing apathetically on the far edge of the wall. She was still wearing that ridiculous yellow belt. "Here I was, busting penny-ante smugglers down by the ground, and one of the guards told me that more fighting was going on up here. I expected to clean up some extra smugglers, not stumble into the end of some kind of overwrought action drama."

"I'll take care of this one, Lady 'zula!" TymbLee screeched as she launched into a cartwheel.

BatMai looked at the clownish acrobat tumbling towards he, and raised an eyebrow that bore a certain resemblance to the skeleton of a bat's wing. "Really? Compared to the clay-covered Earthbender, I'm supposed to be scared of a clown?" A few thrown blades pinned Tymblee's frilly wrist- and ankle-poofs to the brick floor.

Blue fireballs were already flying towards BatMai's spot on the wall, but she wasn't staying still. As she ran, her hands flew back and forth from her bright yellow belt, each motion putting another razor disk in the air. CrAzula tried to dodge, but BatMai was boxing her in with the projectiles, and the crazy Firebending clown was soon tottering in place and she tried to bat the discs out of the air. She stumbled towards the edge of the wall, tripped against the short rise that was supposed to prevent falls, and flipped right over the edge.

"MWA HA HA HA HA!" was her cry as she fell to her death.

Fortunately, Wolfbatman was recovered and back on his feet again, with a boomerang-grapple ready. A _very_ practiced maneuver had him catch CrAzula in midair with a single throw of her boomerang, and soon he was hauling her back up. "She is _always _doing this," he said to BatMai as she came up behind him.

"You don't say."

"Yup. She's got this _thing_ for final confrontations on top of tall places. One time, in Omashu, she threw herself off the head of a giant statue just because our fight was boring her."

"I know the feeling. Why don't you let her just fall?"

"That's not the way it goes," Wolfbatman chuckled. "We turn the freaks over to the Dai Li, they lock 'em up under Lake Laogai, and within a week, we're at it again. It's what keeps life interesting."

BatMai raised that eyebrow again. "So, you're just doing this because _you're_ bored, too."

"Well, not really." Wolfbatman pulled CrAzula back up over the ledge, and being familiar with this trick, knocked the clown out with a single punch before she could spit fire at him. "I have this whole complicated psychological backstory concerning the loss of my home and the death of my mother and some crazy stuff involving my sister. Once, I tried giving the whole gig up, and within a week I was seeing Wolfbats in my morning jook."

"Hm. So this is the great Wolfbatman. The _professional_ who doesn't want _amateurs_ getting in his way." The other eyebrow joined its partner high on her forehead.

Wolfbatman felt himself blush beneath his mask. "Yeah, thanks for the assist. You're much more than I figured you for. So, just to make sure there aren't any talks about copyright violations, want to be partners? I'll show you my cave. And that's not a euphemism."

BatMai took a moment to think it over, before shrugging like she didn't care. "Whatever. I guess a little help wouldn't be bad."

"Great!" Wolfbatman goosed her in celebration. Her squeal was totally worth it.

LEGENDS OF WOLFBATMAN AND BATMAI!

**END**


	11. Flash

**Ain't They Cute**

It turned out that interacting with boys was _hard_.

It wasn't a day like any other. Normally, Mai would be at the Royal Academy for Girls, where she would learn stuff like History, and Calligraphy, and The Lethal Arts To Be Employed In Defense of Our Person and Nation, and Poetry. Today, though, no classes were being held. The Fire Nation was hosting the World Games and Bending Tournament, and tonight would be the opening ceremonies. All the athletes from all four nations would enter the stadium to a cheering audience, and then all the _important_ people would have a party afterwards. Mai was more curious about how the athletes would be celebrating, and if there were any knife-throwers, but her parents had informed her that the Royal Family had invited the whole family to the after-party, and so they would attend.

When Mai heard that Chief Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe would be there with his family, she momentarily got very excited. Then she got very nervous, and climbed up onto her bed for a little lie-down. And now Ty Lee was staring down at her from the bedroom ceiling.

Wait, what?

"What are you doing up there?" Mai said.

Ty Lee waved, untangled her limbs from the ceiling beams, and dropped straight to the floor. She landed on her feet, standing straight. "Ta da!"

"Okay, I guess that was impressive, but why did you break into my house?"

Ty Lee smiled. "I have neeeewwwwwws!" Being Ty Lee, she began walking around Mai's bedroom, touching whatever took her interest. Holding a hairbrush made of crimson jade, she said, "See, I was hanging out with Azula- well, more like stalking her, because she was getting ready for the meeting and didn't have time to play but I was bored so I just followed her- and wait, first she told me that her Daddy was going down to the docks to meet some of the Foreign Important People and he was bringing the family because all the Foreign Important people were bringing their families. So I followed her to see what was going on and if I could eat anything when I saw the Blue People!"

"Blue people."

"Yeah!" Ty Lee was now playing with some of Mai's old knives, the ones with the broken handles and the wobbly blades that were likely to hurt anyone who handled them. "There was a big man and he was wearing beads in his hair and it was funny because men don't do that! And there was a woman and she just looked kind of boring but then I saw a little girl and she had her hair in _loops!_ They dangled on her face and I walked up to her and said, 'Omispirits _your hair!_' and she looked scared but maybe that was because I jumped out from behind the box I was hiding behind."

Mai nodded. Typical Ty Lee stuff, so far.

"And then the girl with the loopies backed away and I heard a boy groan and I looked and it was _Sohka! _And he was all, 'Oh no, it's Tai Li!' and I waved at him." Ty Lee smiled and stared expectantly.

Mai rolled her eyes. "Who's Sohka?"

"Don't you _remember_? You told me he let you touch his boomerang!"

Oh.

_Oh._

Mai felt her stomach tighten again. "His name is _Sokka_. Say it _right_."

"Yeah, him!" Ty Lee ran over to the bed and hopped up to shove her face right up to Mai's. "He had a _present_. It was a knife and it had a red _ribbon_ on it."

_Oh._

Mai couldn't think of anything to say. So, of course, Ty Lee filled in the gap. "You have to get him a present, too! That's the only way you two can establish your _eternal undying love!_"

Mai felt her face heating unpleasantly. "I don't _love _him. We're just friends."

Ty Lee winked. Mai sighed.

* * *

It had been the previous Spring. Sokka's dad and Zuko's dad had been doing some political talking stuff, and the two boys had met each other and did their own talking. Somehow, Sokka came out of it with the idea that Mai was some kind of personal challenge, and had tracked her down and tried to get her to say something to him. Mai _hated_ talking to strangers, but he had been nice, and showed her a new weapon called a _boomerang_. Then he let her touch it. Then he let her _throw _it. Mai still got goosebumps just thinking about it.

Before, she had gotten really nervous whenever Zuko was around. After meeting Sokka, Zuko was much less interesting, and Mai could give herself an upset tummy just thinking about Sokka.

Now there was a gift?

Oh.

* * *

Sokka liked visiting the Fire Nation. Zuko was there, and even though he was older, he acted like he was younger than Sokka, always hiding from his little sister and clinging to his mother whenever she was around. Plus, there was Ty Lee, who was always willing to do whatever dare anyone could think of. And there was Azula, who Sokka was pretty sure he hated, but now Katara was along for this visit and the two girls had started pulling each other's hair as soon as the adults weren't looking, and that was really funny. Plus, there was Mai. She liked Boomerangs, and always had knives she would let Sokka play with. The Water Tribe boy hadn't seen her yet, but it was with her in mind that he egged Zuko on. "Come on, throw it!"

Zuko looked down at the knife in his hands. "What if I break it?"

Sokka rolled his eyes. "You won't break it," he said. "Look, maybe they make knives that are just for looking at in the Fire Nation, but that's a good Water Tribe knife. That handle is pure whalebone, and the metal is hard enough to saw blubber! It won't break if you throw it."

Zuko shook his head. "But if I throw it, and it breaks, then there will be an international incident! This knife was... was.." He closed his eyes, apparently racking his memory. "It was a 'gift to represent the fundamental similarities in the ways of our people, and a symbol of the friendship between our two nations, just as there exists a friendship between the receiver of the knife, Zuko, and its giver, Sokka.' And that's us!"

"Argh," Sokka groaned. Zuko was _such _a geek. "Fine, forget it, if you're going to start crying. Let's just sneak into your home and see if any of the snacks for tonight's party are ready."

"But what if my dad catches us?" Zuko asked with real worry in his voice, as he trailed after Sokka. "He'll be mad!"

"Don't worry. We got the Unbroken Knife of Friendship. All will be cool."

* * *

Mai decided that the polite thing to do was get Sokka a present in return. It _wasn't_ so that they could have undying love or anything. Mother said that a polite exchange of gifts was The Done Thing. And if boring adults did it when they visited each other's tea parties, it couldn't be all about love. But what could she get for him? Mai had lots of knives, but it would be silly if she and Sokka just gave each other the same present. Maybe he'd like a hairbrush? No, that was for _girls_. Hm, what kind of stuff did Zuko like? Um, swords, and Fire Gummies, and turtleducks, and books about history, and soldier toys. No, Sokka wouldn't really care about anything like that. It had to be something special.

Mai thought about it ceaselessly as her mother dressed her up for the party. Sokka was Water Tribe, so maybe he'd like some Fire Nation water? No, that was stupid! ("Ow! Mother, you're brushing too hard.") Maybe he'd like something blue. Did Mai own anything blue? Come to think of it, there wasn't much that was blue in the whole Fire Nation. Some berries, maybe. But didn't he say he liked meat? ("I don't wanna wear a ribbon. I want my odango. Please?") Maybe he'd like a dolly. Mother bought Mai the best dollies in the entire Fire Nation. Some even closed their eyes when you made them lie down, and Mai really liked those, because if she stood one up and then threw a knife at it, its eyes closed when it fell over and it was like the doll died! ("Those shoes hurt. Can't I wear slippers?")

Mai decided that presents were _hard_.

It was unfair that Sokka was so good at them.

* * *

Sokka had enjoyed the Opening Ceremonies, once the dancers and singers and boring people had finished up. He had cheered all the athletes and fighters, and shouted especially loud when Bato led those from the Southern Water Tribe into the stadium. There had been warriors of all kinds hoisting their weapons as they marched, and Sokka was especially intrigued by the swordsmen. Someday, he resolved, he'd learn how to fight with a sword, and maybe play in the Games and Tournaments when he was a man.

For now, though, it was snack time at the after-party, and Sokka was making a deliberate buzzard-bee-line for the table with the stewed sea prunes! He was rather surprised when a dark shape stepped into his path, and it was only with a clumsy effort that he didn't wind up walking right into Mai. "Oops! Oh, hey, how's it going, Mai? Pretty cool stuff happening here, huh? Did you see the knife-throwers?"

Mai wasn't making eye contact, but that was typical for her. What was untypical was the kimono she was wearing, but she didn't seem at all awkward in it. (Unlike Princess Azula, who to Sokka's experienced eye looked like a sausage in a bun.) Mai seemed to want to talk, but as usual, she wasn't quite managing it.

"So, uh, nice kimono?"

Mai said something that was completely lost in the noise of the crowd.

"What was that?"

"Homongi."

"What?"

"The kimono. 's called a homongi."

"Really? Then you'd think it would look more humongous."

"No, homongi."

"Okay, okay, that's fine. Say, you want to get some stewed sea prunes? That's where I was headed when I almost ran you over. They're really tasty!"

Mai mumbled something again.

Sokka resisted the urge to sigh. "Sorry, you're going to have to speak up," he said.

Mai brought her sleeves together, and produced cylinder of some kind from somewhere within. "This is a gift. Yours," she mumbled.

Sokka took the object, and realized what it was. It was a wrist cuff, with little mekanicals on it, and as he gazed at it, he realized that the springs were meant to shoot darts out of the front. Wearing this, all he had to do was point and flex to shoot at someone. "Hey, _neat!_Thanks so much!" That was really nice of Mai. He only wished he had something to give her in return.

Sokka looked up at her, and realized that Mai was finally meeting his gaze, with something a little expectant about her demeanor. Did she want a gift, too? Huh. Too bad he didn't...

Wait.

With a flash of inspiration, Sokka reached behind him and drew Boomerang out of its holster. "Here, this is a special gift just for you. Take care of it, and don't throw it in the ocean, 'cause it will sink since it's made of metal." He could always make a new boomerang, and he was sure Mai would give Boomerang a good home.

Mai's eyes went wide when she saw the weapon, and she made one of those little smiles that were so rare from her. She mumbled something again, and after three tries, Sokka finally figured out that it was a 'thank you.'

* * *

Mai had no idea how Ty Lee could have possibly mistaken a _boomerang_ for a _knife_, but that was okay, because it was the best surprise that could ever possibly be! After Sokka gave it to her, Mai was certain this was the best night of her life.

Then she threw up her first taste of sea prunes all over Sokka, and wished she could throw herself in the ocean and sink forever.

**END**


End file.
